Purdue Boilermakers 2025 Football Preview, Prediction, Betting ideas

Purdue Boilermakers

2024 Record:1-11

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2024 over/under: 4.5(under hit)

Looking back at '24: Some might say we have entered the doldrums of power four football here—the Purdue Boilermakers. Coming off a 1-11 season that ended in Ryan Walters's dismissal, this program has been stripped down to the studs, and with so many departures, it's hard to keep track of! Walters can have no qualms about his tenure coming to an end. 66-0 in the Old Oaken Bucket game v Indiana? How about 66-7 to Notre Dame (Don't forget, after ND lost to Northern Illinois, people liked Purdue +7.5 the week after, but I'll just whisper that). Throw in 45 zip to Ohio State, 49-10 at home to Penn State, and 52-6 at Wisconsin. The lone win came in week one vs Indiana State, so a shambles of a season in West Lafayette is an understatement. The AD Bobinski got Barry Odom from UNLV to replace Walters. In his two years at the helm in Vegas, Odom won 9 games in year one and 11 in year two, and last year, he picked off Kansas and Houston in the non-conference and Cal in the bowl game. Before Odom, you have to go back to 1984(!) for the last double-digit win season at UNLV, so the man knows how to win in places that don't necessarily have the track record. Odom has discussed Purdue not taking a back seat to anyone regarding spending. In this new era of college football, we will have to see it to believe it, in West Lafayette. Bobinski and Odom seem to be in the honeymoon phase. Let's see if this piecemealed roster can keep Purdue more competitive in '25.

Program Trends:

Recruiting ranking Big 10:

2026(summer):13TH

2025: 18TH

2024: 8TH

Returning production ranking, Big 10:

2025: 18TH

2024:14TH

Portal rankings BIG10

2025: 18TH

Program pulse check: With 50-plus transfers in and out this offseason, the Boiler Makers were ravaged. What I find fascinating is that the 2024 recruiting class seemed to have some real juice! Odom has a job at Hand rebuilding, and the recruiting fell off a cliff. At the same time, most of your leaders and top performers have headed for the exit.

Key losses: Marcus Mbow (OL) was the one player drafted, going in the 5th round to the Giants. Dillon Thieneman is being discussed as the Oregon Ducks' defense leader. At the same time, Tarrion Grant was part of the massive spending down in Lubbock, leaving the Purdue secondary barren. Cole Brevard and Will Heldt will play meaningful snaps on defensive lines, which are title contenders in Texas and Clemson, respectively. On offense, Max Klare will likely be a household name by season's end, as he joins up with the Buckeyes and will be one of the best TEs in the nation.

QB: Ryan Browne will likely be the starter for Purdue. He transferred to UNC after the season and transferred back in the spring. College Football! While I hate to see that from my culture setter, it's nice to have a guy back who started two games last season. He threw for 297 yards and 3 TDs vs. Illinois, tacking on 118 rushing. The dude can move around at 6'4! What intrigues me is that Odom loves a mobile QB. Hajj-Malike Williams put up 851 rushing yards last season in his system.

Portal adds: I do love eight transfers following Odom over from UNLV. They will step up in class, but having the foundation in the locker room will help. Vicari, St.John, and Purvis are all o-linemen who graded out well in Mountain West play under Odom; they will be relied upon this season. His leading man on defense will be Tony Grimes. Grimes graded out well vs MW receivers and needs to provide leadership for that decimated CB room. A couple SEC transfers to keep your eyes on are Bradyn Joiner (OL), who was a freshman All-SEC last season at Auburn, and Nitro Tuggle, who was a 4-star WR prospect and appeared in 8 games for Georgia a year ago. I like a couple of deep dives. Giordano Vaccaro, a 6-3, 315 offensive lineman, comes over from Manitoba. My man was the Canada West lineman of the year and has had a sparkling career in Canada. On the defensive side of the bal, Sanders Ellis, was a FCS all-American at Tennessee State. 15.5 tackles for loss is nothing to sneeze at. Let's see how these guys translate to Big 10 play!

One returner on offense: Devin Mockobee enters his senior year at Purdue with over 2,400 rushing yards and 21 total TDs. An electric throwback, Mike Alstott sits atop Purdue's all-time rushing yards with 3,635. Mockobee likely won't be getting near that, but if the line gels and he stays healthy, he might be a top-three all-time rusher when it's all said and done.

One returner on Defense: CJ Madden was a four-star recruit who transferred to Purdue from Georgia before last season. He had a ton of buzz before last season, but he got hurt in the third game and missed the remainder of the year. I love seeing Odom choose him to represent the school at Big 10 media day. He is looking for a big season, and if he can stay healthy, he is a potential game-changer for that defense.

Statistical Pulse: Since this is all new on the field, I thought I'd go a different direction here. Purdue's attendance in 2024 averaged 59,887 at Ross-Ade Stadium, the highest number since 2005. The people of West Lafayette are still in the trenches with the program—I love it!

Schedule: It's Rough! Ball State and Southern Illinois to open, you better get those!! USC, Illinois, Ohio State, and Indiana come to town. At the same time, trips to Notre Dame, Michigan, Washington, and Minnesota will test Odom's mettle in year one. I don't love the setup of the bye weeks either, October 4 to November 15, with no break, you better hope this roster stays healthy.

Prediction: I mean, join me at the roulette table! What Odom did at UNLV is quite impressive. Will it translate to building a Big 10 program? It's anyone's guess. I like a few things on this roster. The 0-line should be solid. This QB is interesting, and having an RB with that kind of pedigree should provide stability. But man, the WR room is a complete unknown, and the defense? What is there to hang your hat on? We will have to wait and see. But Odom is defiant this offseason, I like it! I'll say 3-9 with one juicy victory. I think Illinois, after that bye week, is ripe for an upset. Hell, this team that couldn't tread water almost got them a year ago!

Actionable: Even I couldn't recommend wagering on this team; it would take a specific type of degenerate behavior that I can't condone. There is so much turnover, change, and unknown that it is impossible to predict. Having said that, DK's win total is 2.5 for the Boilermakers. Odom knows how to get a scrappy group to compete. With those Ball State and Southern Illinois games, you might need one Big 10 win to cash a winner!

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