Breakout candidates for Purdue football in 2025

Purdue football is just ten days away from embarking on the Barry Odom era, with an August 30th season opener on tap against Ball State. The 2025 iteration of the Boilermakers features 83 newcomers and a whole lot of opportunities for a completely revamped roster in West Lafayette.

With all of the new faces set to be featured in prominent roles, a look at Purdue’s top breakout candidates heading into 2025.

Ryan Browne:

When you have a young signal caller poised to lead the program, it feels like malpractice to not include them when discussing potential breakout players. That’s where Ryan Browne falls. The redshirt sophomore left the program in search of greener pastures in the winter portal window, but returned after a cup of coffee with North Carolina in the spring.

The frontrunner to land the starting quarterback gig, Browne is poised to be Odom and offensive coordinator Josh Henson’s QB1. We’ve seen the potential, with his explosion against Illinois last season, accounting for over 400 yards of offense and three touchdowns against the Illini. The showing the following week against Oregon also showed growing pains for the up-and-comer.

If Purdue can harness the former performance more frequently, it will bode well for what the offense wants to accomplish in 2025 and thrust Browne into a new stratosphere during his first full year as the man in West Lafayette.

Michael Jackson:

Sixth-year senior wide receiver Michael Jackson has cemented himself as the top pass catcher for the Boilermakers throughout fall camp. The ex-USC and Georgia receiver is the most experienced of Cornell Ford’s bunch in West Lafayette and has been a constant thorn in the side of the Purdue defense in practice. A sure-handed receiver with explosive play ability is something the Purdue offense was lacking a year ago, and could get it in the savvy vet.

Is this the year for the former four-star talent to finally be granted the opportunity and make the most of it? It certainly appears he is on that track heading into late August.

CJ Madden:

Is now the time for CJ Madden to become the trusted pass rusher that Purdue is searching for? Madden was identified as a leader since the start of the spring and has remained a trendy name for the coaching staff throughout fall camp. Madden is coming off a debut campaign with the Boilermakers that was cut short due to injury and will now have his opportunity to serve in a full-time role in 2025.

Purdue’s pass rushers are unproven at the Power 4 level, but Madden is the one that could emerge as the top threat off the edge for Jake Trump and Mike Scherer.

Charles Correa:

Senior linebacker Mani Powell could have been an option here, but the veteran leader has already proven what he can do at the collegiate level with his UNLV production. How about another former Rebel taking the next step in his development? Sophomore linebacker Charles Correa is about as intriguing of a player as any in Mike Scherer’s defense.

Correa got his first taste of collegiate action as a true freshman in 2024 and was immediately placed into the starting lineup upon his arrival to Purdue during fall camp. There is a different level of potential oozing from Correa, one that could give the Boilermakers’ their best linebacker corps in recent memory.

Antonio Harris:

With the exception of Ethan Trent, nobody rose more this off-season than redshirt-freshman running back Antonio Harris. The Castle (Ind.) product is following a similar path to that of one Devin Mockobee, going from unlikely walk-on to contributor after his first year on campus. Harris earned a scholarship this summer and has found himself with the first team offense throughout fall camp.

Mockobee’s presence stands in the way of Harris being Purdue’s bell cow back in 2025, and could drop his ceiling from a numbers perspective, but the redshirt freshman tailback is poised to give Purdue’s lone returning offensive starter a strong running mate. That could lead to a ground game reminiscent of that in 2023, when Mockobee and Tyrone Tracy Jr. found success.

TJ Lindsey:

One of Purdue’s top portal additions dating back to the spring is redshirt freshman defensive tackle TJ Lindsey, who immediately thrust himself into a starting role up front for Kelvin Green. Lindsey possesses an intriguing blend of pass rushing ability while also being stout against the run that has made him a potential difference-maker in the trenches. 

Purdue will depend on the rising freshman defensive tackle to be an anchor along the line, and Lindsey appears up for the challenge. No. 13 will be one to watch on Saturdays for the Boilermakers this fall.

Joey Tanona:

Football was nearly taken away from Joey Tanona back in 2022, when a car accident altered the trajectory of his career. Flash forward three years and the Notre Dame transfer is back and ready to make an impact as a full-time starter for the Boilermakers. 

Tanona has held down the starting left tackle spot since Odom and company got to campus and has thrived under new offensive line coach Vance Vice. Tanona is poised to be a leader for the unit and begin to live up to his four-star billing out of high school this fall.

George Burhenn:

Saving the best for last? George Burhenn has been described by some as perhaps the best player on Purdue’s roster in 2025. The skills are undeniable, with elite athleticism for the position and opportunity in Josh Henson’s offense ready to showcase his skills. The key for Burhenn will be whether or not he can stay on the field.

Burhenn suffered a brutal ankle injury during spring practice and has not yet been a full-go participant during fall camp, but he is ramping up toward a week one return. Getting Burhenn on the field would bode well for Purdue’s offensive hopes and provide the redshirt sophomore with an avenue to break out after two years of waiting in the wings.