I’m not writing a traditional preview for the upcoming Michigan game. I don’t want to write an article about how Purdue is going to be decimated on the road by the Wolverines tomorrow, so I’m not going to. Being the co-boss does have a few perks.
I explain my reasoning in detail here.
Instead, I’m going to focus on the future because the present is rather bleak at the moment. I’ve got a few questions I’d like to see answered in these last few games.
Offense
Quarterback
Is Purdue’s 2026 quarterback on the roster?
It’s time
to get Malachi Singleton more involved in the game plan. In an ideal world, Purdue rolls with either Browne or Singleton next season and doesn’t make a massive quarterback investment in the portal. A significant aspect of college football today is budgeting. The more money you have to spend to lure a transfer quarterback, the less you have to build the rest of your team. I initially thought Purdue brought Malachi in as the starting quarterback. I assume that was the plan until Browne found himself in the middle of a reality TV show in North Carolina, hit the eject button, and returned to the safety of West Lafayette. If nothing else, he’ll get to enjoy watching an elite basketball program this season, something he couldn’t do in Chapel Hill.
We’ve seen what Browne brings to the table.
He played tough early and allowed Purdue to hang around in games where they were clearly behind in talent. It sounds like he’s a solid leader and has an intriguing blend of arm talent and running ability.
He’s also a turnover machine capable of undoing all of his good work with a single ill-conceived pass.
Browne doesn’t just turn the ball over; he turns it over at the worst possible moment. Purdue has lost two games, in part, because Browne doesn’t seem to understand that defenders at the line of scrimmage can jump, and he keeps trying to throw it directly over their heads.
He has physical talent, and on occasion will pull a big play directly out of his rear end, but it’s tough to win games when you can’t trust the quarterback. Personally, I don’t trust Ryan Browne at the moment. At the same time, the best thing about a first-year quarterback is that he becomes a second-year quarterback. If he figures out how to avoid the soul-crushing mistake, at worst, he’s a serviceable quarterback, and at best, he has All-Conference upside.
Still, after Rutgers hit the game-tying field goal, I said, “I’m not sure which coach is more concerned about Purdue having a minute left on the clock, Greg Shiano or Barry Odom.”
It turns out that Coach Odom should have been more concerned. Whatever “clutch” is, Browne has been the opposite of that.
Singleton brings a different style of play with his ability to run the ball. If he shows the staff that he’s capable of moving the ball on the ground while completing enough passes to keep the defense honest, it gives this Purdue offense an identity that it has lacked at times this season. It also informs the type of offensive player the Boilermakers need to target in the portal.
If Singleton is the guy, Purdue can focus their resources on adding run-blocking offensive linemen.
If Browne is the guy, the Boilermakers will need to upgrade their skill positions because you can’t have a bunch of butter-fingered wide receivers if the plan is to throw the ball 30 times a game.
Either way, I’d be surprised if both Browne and Singleton stick around next season. The coaching staff will have to either prioritize one of them or roll the dice in the portal. Going back to the portal after taking multiple quarterbacks in 2025 would be the worst possible outcome.
Running quarterbacks tend to play better in games than in practice. Maybe he’s the solution moving forward, maybe he’s not. These last four games should be considered fact-finding missions.
Let’s find out which quarterback on the roster is worth investing in long-term, if that quarterback exists.
Offensive Line
How many starters does Purdue need out of the portal?
Coaches don’t like to shuffle their starting offensive line. Purdue has already changed up the right guard spot, with Hank Purvis supplanting Ethan Trent as a starter. I’d like to see the same thing happen at right tackle with Bakyne Coly and Marques Easley.
Easley, a redshirt freshman, is a former four-star prospect. All of the blue bloods coveted him coming out of high school before he signed with UGA. He played in two games as a true freshman. He looked like he was going to be in the Georgia two-deep this season before he decided to crash his Challenger into several stationary objects while attempting a burnout. Now he’s at Purdue.
I’d like to see if Kirby Smart’s loss is Barry Odom’s gain. Only four games remain, and Coly won’t be back next season, nor has he been particularly good. Why not see what they have in Easley, if not at right tackle, then maybe at right guard, where UNLV transfer Jalen St. John has been a bit of a disappointment and also won’t be returning. If Easley can fill one of those two spots, Purdue should be able to make a substantial offer to a portal lineman to fill the remaining hole.
If Easley isn’t up to the task, maybe someone like Mason Vicari can step up?
Purdue didn’t play any of their offensive line depth against Rutgers, which is understandable given the score. I’d like to see the staff use more depth over these last four games.
Wide Receiver
Is Nitro Tuggle or Corey Smith WR1 material?
Purdue brought in a pupu platter of 6’0”, 190-pound wide receivers in the offseason, and the results have been underwhelming. Michael Jackson looked promising early, but has faded of late. This offense is in desperate need of a lead receiver next season.
The two players I see with WR1 promise are Nitro Tuggle and Corey Smith. They’ve both had their moments over the course of the season, but neither has proved consistent enough to take the WR1 mantle from Jackson. I think Tuggle might be the guy, but he’s only had three receptions in the last two games. Smith has only managed a single catch in the previous two games. One of the two needs to step up over the next four games and prove they have what it takes to be more than an ancillary option in 2026.
If one of the two can emerge late, it should allow the coaching staff to focus their resources on bringing in the best possible 6’3’+ wideout to give this group some much-needed height and contested catch ability.
