Tennessee State transfer EDGE Sanders Ellis commits to Purdue

Tennessee State transfer EDGE Sanders Ellis is taking his talents to Purdue via the NCAA Transfer Portal, he announced via social media on Monday. He accumulated 83 total tackles, three sacks and three passes defensed during the 2024 season for the Tigers.

Ellis entered the portal after his true freshman season due to his now-former head coach Eddie George taking the Bowling Green job. That triggered his 30-day portal window, and now he’s headed to join the Boilermakers for the 2025 season.

We locked in, let’s do it!! @Coach_Odom @Mike_Scherer38 @BoilerFootball pic.twitter.com/qzAKy9Spxf

— Sanders Ellis (@SandersEllis4) March 31, 2025

According to On3’s Pete Nakos, Auburn, Tennessee and Virginia Tech were all major contenders to land Ellis, who was a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award, which recognizes the top freshman at the FCS level. He was also named the 2024 Big South-OVC Football Association defensive freshman of the year.

Ellis was listed as an EDGE coming out of high school but played an inside linebacker role as a freshman at Tennessee State. He initially entered the portal in December before withdrawing and returning to Tennessee State. After returning to college football’s free agency and emerging as a top available player, he’s found a new home in the Big Ten.

Moving forward, Ellis will hope to be a major player for Barry Odom in his first season as the Purdue head coach, as he was hired as the program’s 38th full-time head football coach earlier this offseason. Last season was a major disappointment for the proud program, and Odom is hoping to return the Boilermakers to a competitive level. We’ll see if he can get it done.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.

— On3’s Pete Nakos contributed to this article.