Purdue lands portal commitment from Illinois rush end Calvin 'Trey' Smith
MORE: Purdue transfer portal tracker
One of Purdue’s portal needs was a rush end. And, the staff found one in Illinois’ Calvin “Trey” Smith, who committed to the Boilermakers on Tuesday. He entered the portal on April 22.
The 6-4, 230-pound Smith is Purdue’s third portal commitment in the spring cycle, joining long-snapper Nick Levy (William & Mary) and punter Keelan Crimmins (Mississippi State).
Smith played in two games last season as a true freshman at Illinois and will have four years of eligibility.
An Ocoee, Fla., native, Smith committed in 2022 to former Fighting Illini OLB coach Kevin Kane, who is now the defensive coordinator at Purdue. Smith needs to bulk up but is thought to have good up-side.
Top 10
- 1New
Saban chirped
Big 12 comes after GOAT
- 2
DJ Lagway
Fan flashes Florida QB to Pope
- 3Hot
Strength of Schedule
CFP Top 25 SOS ranking
- 4
Alabama needs a prayer
Tide can make the CFP but needs help
- 5
3 ACC teams in CFP?
Path for ACC outlined
Smith is the second former Illini player to transfer to West Lafayette this offseason, joining RB Reggie Love. Smith also is the fourth rush end Purdue has added since the end of 2023: Georgia’s C.J. Madden, Boston College’s Shitta Sillah and Franklin College’s Jireh Ojata came aboard this winter and went through spring drills. The anchor of the unit figures to be sophomore Will Heldt.
SUBSCRIBE: GoldandBlack.com
Coming out of high school in the Sunshine State, Smith chose the Illini over offers from Pitt, Rutgers, Arkansas, Georgia Tech, Florida Atlantic, Indiana, Iowa State, Kansas, Michigan State and others.
Purdue’s rush end unit saw Nic Scourton transfer to Texas A&M in the offseason. And sidekick Kydran Jenkins has been moved to inside linebacker. Depth was further depleted with early-arriving freshman DJ Allen entered the portal this spring. Smith’s arrival will help augment rush ends coach Joe Dineen’s unit.
