Jamari Payne - Fr.
Auburn, AL (Loachapoka HS)
6'2", 259 pounds
Rush End
2024 Projection: Possible contributor
It is hard to say if Payne will play as a true freshman or not. Purdue has some pretty good options at rush end within Ryan Walters' scheme, but he also put up some bigg numbers last year in Alabama at Loachapoka HS. He had 76 tackles, including 12 sacks, and two interceptions, one he returned for a touchdown. This was after a big junior year with 109 tackles, 27.5 for loss, and 6.5 sacks.
He has some really good size as a rush end, so it seems like he is a good fit in the long run. Will Heldt, Shitta Sillah, and Jireh Ojata appear to be ahead of him on the depth chart at that spot, however, but only Heldt has experience at Purdue.