Portal Position Analysis: Offensive Line

The portal additions have come fast and furious this winter for Purdue, as new coach Barry Odom has been busy building a roster for his maiden team.

The current portal addition count for Purdue: 29. More players will be added in the spring when a second portal window opens April 16-25.

Who has Purdue added thus far? GoldandBlack.com takes a position-by-position look. Next up: Offensive line.

MORE POSITION ANALYSIS: Quarterbacks | Running backs | Tight ends/fullbacks

OFFENSIVE LINE (4)

Player, school

Hank Purvis, UNLV

Jalen St. John, UNLV

Giordano Vaccaro, University of Manitoba

Mason Vicari, UNLV

Big people beat up little people. To that end, Odom wants a beefy front to help institute the physical ground game he desires.

The front needed portal help with all five of last year’s starting line departing: C Gus Hartwig (out of eligibility), G Mahamane Moussa (Louisville), T Marcus Mbow (turned pro), G DJ Wingfield (USC), T Corey Stewart (out of eligibility). And reserve C/G Jalen Grant (N.C. State) also is gone, along with T Josh Sales and G Luke Griffin.

New OL coach Vance Vice has begun constructing his first Boilermaker front, bringing in four blockers in the first portal window. He is familiar with three of them, as they matriculated with him from UNLV.

Jalen St. John looks like the best of the bunch, a true bellwether and anchor at left tackle. He must be the cornerstone of the 2025 line. St. John is joined by two young and promising UNLV linemen in Hank Purvis and Mason Vicari, who each saw key action as true freshmen in 2024.

The most fascinating addition is Giordano Vaccaro, a product of the University of Manitoba where he was a legit star.

Are four portal o-linemen enough? Perhaps, but it would not be a surprise to see the staff bring in one or two more to augment a unit that lost a lot.

An early possible line could look like this: LT St. John; LG Joey Tanona; C Ethan Trent; RG Jaden Ball; RT Bakyne Coly.

Hank Purvis, 6-5, 330

With Purdue’s desire to be physical, it will need big o-linemen. Meet Purvis, a massive wall of flesh. He was a starter in UNLV’s extra tackle formation and on special teams in 2024, playing in all 14 games as a true freshman. Bottom line: He is an earth mover who figures to be a good player whose best days are ahead of him with three years of eligibility.

The 🐐 @VanceVice pic.twitter.com/9Mxokn6fhf

— Paloma Villicana (@PalomaFOX5News) October 12, 2024

Jalen St. John, 6-5, 330

Purdue will be St. John’s third school after the man nicknamed “Chop” began his career at Arkansas before moving on to UNLV, where he played the last two seasons. The St. Louis native blossomed with the Rebels, where he became an anchor at left tackle in starting all 14 games in 2024 and helping UNLV have the No. 7 rushing attack in FBS with 243.5-yard average last year. St. John, a second-team All-Mountain West selection in 2024, will be one of the more flexible blockers on the roster. And he has an infectious personality and is a vocal leader, which should help the new staff establish its culture. St. John has one year of eligibility.

Giordano Vaccaro, 6-3, 305

One of Purdue’s most interesting portal additions, Vaccaro arrives in West Lafayette after playing three years in Canada at the University of Manitoba. A guard, Vaccaro started all 18 games of this career, earning JP Metras Award Winner as U SPORTS Lineman of the Year honors among other accolades. He began his prep career at St. Paul’s High in Winnipeg, Manitoba, before playing his senior season at Clearwater Academy International in Florida, the same school as Purdue portal QB Evans Chuba–a fellow Canadian. Vaccaro has one year of eligibility.

Mason Vicari, 6-4, 305

Vicari is an athletic blocker who can snap or play guard. He was a starter in some extra lineman formations and on special teams for UNLV in 2024 as a true freshman. The Sacramento, Calif., native will have three years of eligibility. Like Purvis, Vicari’s best football is ahead of him.

MORE: Who jumped in the portal for Purdue? | Who is coming from the portal? | Purdue 2025 newcomer roster |  GoldandBlack.com content hub: Welcome to the Barry Odom era