UCLA is set to enter its third season in the Big Ten, following a sophomore campaign in which the program captured three NCAA championships – the most of any Big Ten school. The conference as a whole earned 10 different national titles in the most recent cycle. Daily Bruin Sports has broken down the top programs of UCLA’s Big Ten rivals.
Football
2025 record: 2-10, 0-9 Big Ten
Coach: Barry Odom
Player to Watch: Ryan Browne
Purdue football has seen better days.
The Boilermakers have finished in the cellar of the Big Ten in back-to-back seasons, going winless in conference play both years.
Former head coach Ryan Walters was fired after a 2024 campaign where the Boilermakers finished 1-11. One season later, Barry Odom took the helm after leading UNLV to a 11-3 record.
And Odom improved on Walter’s record – going 2-10.
The Boilermakers are losing their top rushing leader from last year, Devin Mockobee – who also finished fifth in receiving yards – and their top three receivers, losing Michael Jackson III and EJ Horton Jr. to graduation and Nitro Tuggle to South Carolina.
With the departure of several key contributors, Odom had to turn to the transfer portal to fill his team’s gaps.
And the second-year head coach overhauled his roster with 29 transfers.
Throughout the portal, Odom acquired weapons that could help quarterback Ryan Browne flourish in his senior season. Odom added three tailbacks to fill the room next to Antonio Harris, who ran for 305 yards and two touchdowns on 4.4 yards per carry.
Joining Harris is former Jackson State running back Travis Terrell Jr., who tallied 608 ground yards and five rushing touchdowns on just 102 carries. And in the latter’s true freshman campaign, Terrell Jr. was named an Honorable Mention AP FCS All-American.
Alongside Harris is Fame Ijeboi, who ran for 441 yards and two touchdowns in his redshirt freshman season at Minnesota. Ijeboi, Terrell, Harris and Texas transfer Jerrick Gibson could round out a revamped running back room that finished No. 14 in rushing yards and No. 15 in rushing touchdowns in the Big Ten in 2025.
On the boundaries, Odom added former Florida Atlantic pass catcher Asaad Waseem and Penn transfer Bisi Owens, both of whom logged at least 600 receiving yards at their respective schools, more than any Purdue receiver in 2025. Waseem could contribute substantial production in the slot after garnering 699 yards and five touchdowns on just 66 catches for the Owls. Owen earned First Team All-Ivy League and caught 66 passes for 696 yards and five touchdowns.
While Browne’s offense features new weapons, he has to improve his ball security if the Boilermakers want to get the ball moving, especially after Purdue tied for first in the Big Ten in interceptions.
Defensively, Purdue will play the 2026 season without its two top tacklers in defensive back Tahj Ra-El and linebacker Mani Powell, with the latter also tying for first in sacks with five. Purdue’s defensive front also took a considerable hit after the departure of defensive lineman CJ Nunnally IV, who also notched five sacks in addition to an interception, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
Purdue saw exits from each phase of the defense, but like the other side of the field, Odom hit the transfer portal to fill the open gaps.
In the middle, the Boilermakers are not only retaining Charles Correa, who recorded 93 tackles and three sacks, both of which ranked third on the team, but also added Jojo Hayden.
On the line, Purdue added Georgia transfer edge rusher Elo Modozie, San Diego transfer edge Tre Moore and defensive tackle Rodney Lora. Modozie had a down year at Georgia in 2025 after registering 34 tackles, eight tackles-for-loss and 6.5 sacks at Army the year before, but could return to that form in a new environment.
Moore, joining Modozie on the edge, earned All-PFL Second Team honors last season after logging 61 tackles, 8.5 tackles-for-loss and six sacks, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries at San Diego.
Rounding out the reinforcements is Lora, who appeared in 12 games at Central Florida last season, tallying 22 tackles to go alongside a sack and a fumble recovery. Lora is entering his junior season in 2026 and could see a performance jump as he becomes an upperclassman in a less crowded room.
The trio will need to fortify Purdue’s pass rush if it wants to improve from the No. 12 spot in the conference in sacks.
In the secondary, Purdue lost Ra-El, but retained defensive backs Hudauri Hines and Smiley Bradford, who ranked first and second in pass deflections with eight and six, respectively. While Hines projects to start at one of the outside corner positions, Bradford will have to compete with FIU transfer Mister Clark for the immediate starting role.
Clark received All-CUSA First Team honors in 2025 and accumulated 63 tackles, 6.5 tackles-for-loss, three interceptions and a forced fumble.
The final stops of the new-look Purdue defense feature new safeties in Michigan free safety transfer Jaden Mangham and Colorado strong safety transfer John Slaughter. The Boilermakers ranked No. 17 in the Big Ten in interceptions forced in 2025, and it will need the new faces to create splash plays in the backend of the defense.
Men’s basketball
2025 record: 30-9, 13-7 Big Ten, Loss in Elite Eight
Coach: Matt Painter
Player to Watch: Caden Pierce
West Lafayette is entering a new era.
Purdue’s class of 2022 – which featured Big Ten Player of the Year and three-time All-American Braden Smith, a 2024-25 All-American and First Team All-Big Ten selection in Trey Kaufman-Renn and two-time All-Big Ten honorable mention Fletcher Loyer – stole the hearts of the Boilermaker faithful for four years.
After the closure of the 2025-26 campaign, coach Matt Painter will have to find the new faces of his program.
And he may have struck gold with Princeton transfer Caden Pierce.
The 6-foot-7 forward sat out the 2025-26 season, using his redshirt to preserve an additional year of eligibility and enter the transfer portal. While considering multiple top programs, including Gonzaga, UConn, Louisville and Duke, Pierce landed on Purdue, where he will make an immediate impact on a squad that lost four starters from last year.
Pierce was a Second Team All-Ivy League selection two seasons ago, after averaging 11.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game, but saw his best season as a true sophomore, when he was named Ivy League Player of the Year and garnered First Team conference honors.
During the 2023-24 season, Pierce averaged 16.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game on an efficient 54.6% and 34.2% clip from the field and beyond the arc, respectively.
While Pierce is approaching three seasons removed from his most productive collegiate season, there is reason to believe that Painter could unlock that talent from the Princeton transfer.
Joining Pierce in the starting five will most likely be guard C.J. Cox, who produced an impactful true sophomore campaign, averaging 8.5 points on a 37.3% long-range clip. And without Loyer, Smith and Kaufman-Renn, there will be an abundance of shot volume left for the rising junior to assume.
Cox should take on a bigger role in year three in West Lafayette and will likely be a mainstay in the starting shooting guard role as one of the most tenured and veteran players on the team. He provides Painter a sharpshooting backcourt option that is also a capable defender and clutch scorer.
Joining Cox in the starting backcourt and replacing Smith will most likely be guard Omer Mayer. The rising sophomore played just 14.3 minutes per game, averaging 5.5 points per game on a 35.5% clip from beyond the arc, and saw increased playing time as the season went on.
While Mayer has big shoes to fill in Smith – who broke the NCAA assist record this past season – and boasts little experience, he contributed solid production as a true freshman and will benefit from having the leadership and veteran presence of Cox beside him.
The final guard or small forward spot may be the most contested starting position. Guards Antione West Jr. and Gicarri Harris are the most likely options. West redshirted this past season but led the Boilermakers on both ends in their exhibition trip to Canada this Summer, averaging a team-high 13.3 points and three steals per game.
Ranked as a four-star recruit and No. 76 player in ESPN’s top 100, West could be a name that Big Ten fans know come winter and spring, but time will tell if he is poised for a breakout season.
If West is not starting in that final backcourt spot, then it will likely be Harris, who averaged just 4.6 points per game last season through 15.7 minutes per game, but, like West, saw a breakout in Canada, averaging 11.3 points per game – second on the team.
Manning the center spot will likely be Daniel Jacobsen. The 7-foot-4 big man averaged 5.5 points and three rebounds per game on a 64.6% field goal percentage.
While Jacobsen has struggled to produce with volume over his first two college seasons – averaging just under 13 minutes per game – he is in the most wide-open frontcourt he has seen in his time at Purdue with the exits of Kaufman-Renn and former center Oscar Cluff.
Jacobsen will need to dominate both sides of the court, blocking shots and protecting the rim while maintaining efficiency and grabbing offensive rebounds, to be effective in Painter’s starting lineup. Time will tell if Jacobsen is ready for an increased role, but Painter has success with creating impactful centers.
Contributing off the pine will be freshman duo Luke Ertel and Jacob Webber. The former ranked as high as No. 38 on 247Sports’ recruiting rankings and immediately contributed in the Boilermakers’ Canada trip, averaging 8.3 points, 4.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game.
It is yet to be seen if Ertel’s play can translate to the Big Ten, but if he plays up to his potential, he could be solid backcourt depth as a true freshman. Webber is a four-star recruit who ranked as high as No. 56 on Rivals and averaged 9.5 points per game in Purdue’s four games in Canada, and like Ertel, could be serviceable backcourt depth and could also play small forward.
There are many unknowns surrounding the Boilermakers as they enter the 2026-27 season without their usual trio, as they are relying on several first-year or unproven players to make big jumps to be competitive in the Big Ten.
While Purdue projects well given Painter’s prior success and the depth of players on the roster, everyone will see how it translates come November.
Women’s basketball
2025 record: 13-17, 5-13 Big Ten
Coach: Katie Gearlds
Player to Watch: Hannah Wickstrom
Coach Katie Gearlds revived her alma mater.
Helming her former team for the past five seasons, she led the Boilermakers to the NCAA tournament in 2023, their first appearance since the 2016-17 campaign. Gearlds compiled a 36-26 record across her first two seasons back in West Lafayette.
But Purdue has yet to see a winning season since their return to March Madness, most recently going 13-17, including just five conference wins.
To make matters worse, Gearlds is returning just three players from last season’s squad, including losing her top five scorers from last year.
With just a trio of returners – averaging a combined 8.6 points per game – Gearlds needed a successful transfer portal to revitalize the depleted program.
And she may have struck gold.
Headlining the incoming crew is guard Hannah Wickstrom. The UC Riverside transfer finished her true sophomore campaign as a Becky Hammon semifinalist – given annually to the top women’s basketball player from a Mid-Major program – a First Team All-Big West selection and the fifth leading scorer in the nation, averaging 23.4 points per game.
Wickstrom will most likely shoulder the responsibility as the Boilermakers’ most reliable scorer, entering West Lafayette shooting 48.5% from the field, 34% from beyond the arc and 83% from the charity stripe. Wickstrom’s addition could be imperative with the Boilermakers ranking No. 14 in the Big Ten in points per game and field goal percentage and No. 13 in 3-point percentage.
But her impact on the court is far from limited to just shooting. Wickstrom averaged 7.3 rebounds per game despite standing at just 5-foot-10, giving Purdue an effective rebounding guard that can supplement a team that ranked No. 15 in the conference in rebounds per game last season.
The Melbourne, Australia, local also made a significant defensive impact, averaging 2.7 steals per game, giving Gearlds a pesky one-on-one defender that can shift the tides of games.
Joining Wickstrom on the trip to West Lafayette is guard Taylor Henderson. The UNC Wilmington transfer will likely join Wickstrom in the starting backcourt, and like her counterpart, will have to prove she can make the jump to the Power Four level.
Henderson missed all of last season due to an injury sustained on the first official day of practice, but as a true sophomore started 31 of the 32 games she appeared in, where she averaged 12 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game – leading her team in both latter categories and finishing second on the team in the former two.
The Charlotte, North Carolina, local is a less proficient shooter than Wickstrom, but is equally impactful everywhere else. Both guards will have to prove their spot on the roster – with the latter showing no steps lost after her season-ending injury – but they both enter West Lafayette with proven resumes.
At the center spot, Gearlds brought in 6-foot-5 Anjela Minja, who spent her previous two seasons at Gulf Coast State. During the 2025-26 season, Minja was named Second Team All-Panhandle Conference after averaging 7.8 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game.
Minja’s block rate ranked No. 12 in the nation, giving the Boilermakers a defensive stalwart that can anchor the half-court and protect the paint. Minja only started 12 of the 30 games she played last season and could see an expanded role on Purdue, especially with the squad allowing the third most points per game in the conference.
Rounding out the new crew are guards Kyndall Hunter and Aysia Proctor. The former transferred from Houston and ranked second on the team in scoring with 9.2 points per game. Hunter joins her fourth school and will join Wickstrom and Henderson in spots one through three.
Proctor transferred to Purdue after averaging a team-high 14.1 points at North Texas last season, earning her a Second Team American All-Conference team selection. Proctor shot 39.3% from beyond the arc, giving Gearlds another sharpshooter from deep.
The influx of four proven guards to the Purdue roster gives the coaching staff flexibility to find whose impact will translate in West Lafayette and could push the program out of the slump it has seen over the past few seasons.
However, growing pains could occur with such limited continuity on the roster.
Only time will tell.
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