Transfer Portal notebook; top additions, sleepers

The dust has settled on a fast and furious December/January for Purdue in the transfer portal. In all, the staff inked 29 players. More certainly will be added when the spring portal window opens April 16-25. Here’s what you need to know about the raft of new arrivals who are on campus.

• TOP OFFENSIVE ADDITION: WR Nathan Leacock. The Tennessee wideout has talent. But Leacock struggled with confidence in the Vol offense and reportedly had issues catching the ball. It didn’t help that he never got any real opportunity in Knoxville. Leacock certainly will get every chance in West Lafayette for a roster desperate for pass-catchers.

• OFFENSIVE SLEEPER: FB Christian Moore. Maybe he isn’t a sleeper, as On3 rates the UNLV transfer as Purdue’s top portal addition. Moore began his career at Kansas State and impressed in his one season at UNLV, when in 2024 he was a finalist for the Lowman Trophy given to the nation’s top fullback. Moore is a great culture guy, gritty, tough with sneaky good hands. It will be interesting to see how he is deployed.

• TOP DEFENSIVE ADDITION: CB Tony Grimes. Coming out of high school, the UNLV transfer was a five-star recruit who one service rated the No. 1 corner in the nation. He reclassified from the Class of 2021 to the Class of 2022 and inked with North Carolina. Purdue will be Grimes’ fourth school–he was at Texas A&M in 2023 but didn’t play due to injury. With 41 career starts, Grimes is a good bet to be the alpha corner on a 2025 squad that has an overhauled secondary.

• DEFENSIVE SLEEPER: S Crew Wakley. Wakley wanted to stay at BYU, where he had deep roots. Why did he leave Provo? Wakley wasn’t on the same page with some staffers on how he wanted to be used. He will be counted on heavily at Purdue, where he looks poised to be a leader for a rebuilt defense. The 24-year-old is married with one year of eligibility and is all business.

• MOST INTRIGUING: OL Giordano Vaccaro. It’s not often schools dip into Canada to add a transfer portal addition. Vaccaro was at the University of Manitoba–Go Bison!–where he started 27 games at guard over the last three seasons. The Winnipeg, Manitoba, native is strong, mature and knowledgeable. In 2024, he won the JP Metras Award Winner as U SPORTS Lineman of the Year, so Vaccaro has that going for him … which is nice. At the least, Vaccaro will be a valuable reserve for Purdue.

• MOST HYPED: QB Malachi Singleton. He’ll battle UCF transfer EJ Colson and Washington State transfer Evans Chuba for the No. 1 job, but some feel the Arkansas transfer may be the favorite to win the starting spot. Singleton is a rugged 6-1, 225-pound dual-threat who flashed in 2024 when he helped engineer a win vs. Tennessee. No doubt, all eyes will be on Singleton-who never has started a game–this spring.

• BIGGEST NEED: Kicker. For now, the only one on campus is sophomore Spencer Porath, and he is a work-in-progress after hitting just 7-of-11 field-goal attempts in his 2024 debut. After going 0-of-2 at Ohio State, Porath lost his job to Ben Freehill and didn’t attempt a kick the last three games. Porath needs a competitor–actually, two–who at the least can be a backup … if not perhaps win the job.

• BEST POSITION HAUL: Purdue filled a lot of needs during the first portal window, landing three quarterbacks, six defensive backs and five receivers to go along with four offensive linemen and three linebackers.

• BIGGEST POSITION OF NEED: Aside from adding a kicker, there are no yawning needs. Purdue could use another pass rusher along with another offensive lineman and safety. A third punter is needed, too. Is the staff OK not having an experienced quarterback?

Portal additions by position

QUARTERBACK (3)

Player, school

Evans Chuba, Washington State

EJ Colson, UCF

Malachi Singleton, Arkansas

RUNNING BACK (1)

Player, school

Malachi Thomas, Virginia Tech

FULLBACK (1)

Player, school

Christian Moore, UNLV

RECEIVERS (5)

Player, school

EJ Horton, Florida Atlantic

Nathan Leacock, Tennessee

Chauncey Magwood, UCF

Isaiah Myers, Charlotte

Charles Ross, USC

TIGHT END (2)

Player, school

Christian Earls, UNLV

Luca Puccinelli, Wake Forest

OFFENSIVE LINE (4)

Player, school

Hank Purvis, UNLV

Jalen St. John, UNLV

Giordano Vaccaro, University of Manitoba

Mason Vicari, UNLV

DEFENSIVE LINE (3)

Player, school

E Breeon Ishmail, Michigan

E/T TJ Lindsey, Auburn

E CJ Nunnally, Akron

LINEBACKER (3)

Player, school

Carson Dean, Arkansas

Mani Powell, UNLV

Alex Sanford, Arkansas

DEFENSIVE BACK (6)

Player, school

CB Chad Brown, Nevada

CB Tony Grimes, UNLV

S Tahj Ra-El, Memphis

S Richard Toney, TCU

CB Ryan Turner, Boston College

S Crew Wakley, BYU

SPECIALIST (1)

Player, school

P Sam Dubwig, Arkansas

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