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ANN ARBOR, MI - NOVEMBER 01: Michigan Wolverines running back Jordan Marshall (23) is stopped by Purdue Boilermakers linebacker Charles Correa (5) during the Michigan Wolverines versus the Purdue Boilermakers game on Saturday November 1, 2025 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, MI. (Photo by Steven King/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Note: I’m using the same intro for all of the articles in this series. Here are the links to the other articles in this series:
Offense
Quarterback
Tight End
Running Back
Offensive Tackle
Interior Offensive Line
Wide Receiver
Defense
Defensive Tackle
Defensive End
The NCAA announced they are moving forward with a rule change that eliminates redshirts and allows five seasons of eligibility as long as you are enrolled by the time you’re 19. This, in part, was a reaction to the influx of European professionals into college basketball last season. It also clears up the eligibility issues regarding junior college recruits after Diego Pavia received an additional year of eligibility through a court injunction. In theory, these new rules will take effect for any player who enrolls on or after January 1, 2027, while players who enroll before next year will get whichever set of rules is most beneficial for them.
To boil that down to its essence, athletes who played as “true freshmen” under the old system will get an extra year of eligibility, and JuCo players who spend 2 years in JuCo get 3 seasons of eligibility instead of 3 seasons to play 2.
You can read the press release from the NCAA here.
Position
| Name | Pos | Recruiting Class | HS/JuCo/Portal | Home State | High School | HS Rating | Juco/Port | JuCo/Port Rating | Seasons at PU | Eligibility | Name | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 47 | Tre Moore | LB | 22 | Portal | AZ | Hamilton | NR | N.Ariz/San Diego | NA | 0 | 1 | Tre Moore |
| 27 | Owen Davis | LB | 23 | HS | OH | North Union | 3*(83.4) | NA | NA | 3 | 2 | Owen Davis |
| 0 | Jojo Hayden | LB | 23 | Portal | IL | East St. Louis | 3*(85.7) | Illinois | 3*(87) | 0 | 2 | Jojo Hayden |
| 40 | Hudson Miller | LB | 23 | HS/Portal | IN | Cathedral | NR | Toledo | 3*(85) | 3 | 1 | Hudson Miller |
| 5 | Charles Correa | LB | 24 | Portal | NV | Bishop Gorman | 3*(83.2) | UNLV | NR | 1 | 3 | Charles Correa |
| 16 | Anthony Speca | LB | 24 | Portal | PA | Central Catholic | 3*(88.8) | Penn State | 3*(85.5) | 0 | 3 | Anthony Speca |
| 30 | Parker Meese | LB | 25 | HS | TX | Fayetteville | 3*(80.1) | NA | NA | 1 | 4 | Parker Meese |
| 51 | Jaxon Ott | LB | 25 | HS | IN | Mississinewa | NR | NA | NA | 1 | 4 | Jaxon Ott |
| 42 | Brayden Sweeney | LB | 26 | HS | MI | Catholic Central | 3*(83.9) | NA | NA | 0 | 5 | Brayden Sweeney |
Eligibility Changes
Charles Correa and Jaxon Ott will receive an extra season of eligibility after playing as true freshmen.
Thoughts
Purdue will play a base 4-2-5 this season, utilizing a weak side and middle linebacker. Charles Correa is the starter at WLB, and while I’m not certain of much about this team, you can take that to the bank. Barry Odom’s defense at UNLV was built around weak-side linebacker Jackson Woodard. As a senior, Woodard put up 135 tackles, 17 tackles-for-loss, 3.5 sacks, and 4 interceptions. I don’t think Correa is going to hit those benchmarks, but he needs to have a similar impact in the Purdue defense. He led the Boilermakers in tackles-for-loss last season with 7.5, and that’s a place where I expect improvement in 2026. This defense is built to attack but spent too much of last season on the back foot. If things go right, Correa will make one of the All-Big 10 teams this season after being named honorable mention All-Big 10 as a sophomore. As a bonus, he’ll receive an extra season of eligibility under the new rules. That’s a massive long-term boost for the Boilermaker defense. If he stays healthy and sticks around for another three seasons, he’s got a good shot to end up in the top 3 for career tackles at Purdue (Kevin Motts (‘76-’79) has the career record with 520; that’s an average of 130 tackles a season. I highly doubt Correa gets within spitting distance of the overall record).
After struggling to contain, much less stop, the run last season, new/old defensive coordinator Kevin Kane brought in 6’2”, 245 masher Jojo Hayden in to play middle linebacker next to Correa. Kane helped recruit Hayden to Illinois out of East St. Louis High School in 2023, and now he’ll join his former high school teammates Smiley Bradford and Jesse Watson in West Lafayette. He has the size to deal with pulling guards and has appeared in 21 games for Illinois over the last two seasons, giving him solid Big 10 experience, albeit as a reserve for the Fighting Illini. Look for Hayden on 1st and 2nd down; Kevin Kane as a few different options for clear passing downs.
If he wants to rush the passer, and I think he does, you’ll get a heavy dose of Penn State transfer Anthony Speca on passing downs. If Purdue played the more traditional 3-linebacker base defense, Speca would most likely be the third starter, playing in the middle with Hayden moving over to the strong side. He made his reputation as a downhill middle linebacker at Pennsylvania Powerhouse Central Catholic, but he’s a little different than Hayden. While JoJo relies on power, Speca is known for his speed. He was one of the higher-rated portal pick-ups for the Boilermakers in the offseason. Purdue’s defense needs to create more havoc, and that’s why Speca is on the roster.
That’s the good news. If the Boilermakers can keep any two of these three players on the field, they should be good to go. The bad news is I have no idea what happens if that’s not possible. Tre Moore, a senior transfer from San Diego, was a solid FCS linebacker last season and could help with depth, but he’s making a huge step up in competition. Hudson Miller is back in the fold after his transfer to Toledo in 2025 didn’t land him a starting gig despite starting 5 games for Purdue in 2024 (make of that what you will). He’s serviceable in an emergency and should be helpful on special teams. I thought Owen Davis was an interesting developmental piece in the 2023 recruiting class as a two-way player from a small high school, but he’s only played in four games in three seasons. If he’s going to develop, now would be the ideal time.
Parker Meese is a 3* linebacker from Arkansas coming off a redshirt freshman season. He wasn’t a highly rated recruit, but Barry Odom has made a living on those types of linebackers. In an ideal world, he steps up as the fourth linebacker. Jaxon Ott walked on in 2025 and then played in 11 games on special teams. He’s a masher at 6’4”, 250, and if nothing else, should be a beast on special teams again this season. Brayden Sweeney is the only true freshman linebacker on the roster. If he plays in anything other than garbage time in 2026, something has gone terribly wrong. That’s not a comment on his long-term potential, but he needs some seasoning before getting tossed on the Big 10 grill.
Overall, this unit has 3 solid options, followed by a bunch of question marks. The injury Gods really need to do Purdue a solid at linebacker and allow their top options to stay on the field all season. Correa may be the most irreplaceable player on either side of the ball.
Moving Forward
The good news for Purdue is that Correa, Hayden, and Speca are all slated to return next season. That should give the young guys a chance to sort things out before 2018.
Odom is known for his ability to find linebackers. I assume he’ll keep doing that. I just can’t tell you exactly what that looks like in the future. Keep in mind, the above-mentioned Jackson Woodard was a walk-on who put up 12 tackles in three seasons at Arkansas and ended his career as an All-American at UNLV. I’ll cede to his evaluations at linebacker. It’s one of the reasons why he’s a multi-millionaire coaching football in the Big 10.
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