BoilerUpload - Weekly Upload: Portal big board, JUCO official visit, and more
The December 1st edition of the Weekly Upload, including the transfer big board, official visitors and more.
purdue.rivals.com
As the calendar turns to December, it marks the beginning of transfer portal season as we inch closer to early National Signing Day in less than three weeks. Boiler Upload's "Weekly Upload" includes Purdue's transfer portal big board, an official visitor this weekend and potential returners yet to make a decision.
Donaven McCulley meeting:
Purdue reached out to Indiana transfer Donaven McCulley shortly after he entered the NCAA Transfer Portal earlier this week and are attempting to move in quick on the former Hoosier.McCulley and the Boilermakers are expected to have a meeting today in Indianapolis as the Boilermakers continue their pursuit. The converted quarterback led Indiana with 48 catches, 644 yards and six touchdowns in just his second year as a wide receiver at the college level.
A potential addition of McCulley, or any other transfer receiver for that matter, would loom large as Purdue saw its top three pass catchers from this season enter the transfer portal. The former Hoosier could very well be on that list of replacements.
Jaekwon Bouldin set for official visit:
Purdue has been active in recruiting offensive linemen in the class of 2024, the JUCO ranks and early in the portal season. One such target will be in West Lafayette this weekend for an official visit.Jaekwon Bouldin had been looking to lock in a visit to Purdue for nearly a month now and will finally have that opportunity. The Mississippi Gulf Coast CC product has grown close with offensive line coach Marcus Johnson, who has deep ties to the south.
Bouldin has another official visit locked in to Mississippi State, who is another strong suitor for the 6’7”, 350-pound lineman. Purdue will have its work cut out for itself to pry Bouldin out of Mississippi and will look to do so with a strong impression over the weekend.
Purdue's Transfer Portal Big Board:
This portion will be a mainstay in the Weekly Upload for the foreseeable future as Purdue has already been busy offering prospects in the transfer portal before the official opening of the portal on December 4th. All of the disclosed offers have come to offensive linemen with starting experience at the college level.
DJ Wingfield, New Mexico
Wingfield came off a torn ACL in 2022 to have a successful campaign this fall, starting nine games for the Lobos and having a 73.1 Pro Football Focus grade, including a 79.0 pass blocking grade while allowing just one sack on 316 pass blocking snaps. He also holds offers from UTSA, Houston and Fresno State, among others.
Jacob Rizy, Harvard
Rizy was the first portal offer for the Boilermakers, which has been one of the many schools entering the mix. The former Harvard standout started 21 games for the Ivy school, being named All-Ivy and All-New England during his time with the Crimson. He also holds offers from Duke, Tulane, UTSA, Wake Forest and Vanderbilt.
Easton Kilty, North Dakota
From Boiler Upload's story on Kilty's offer:
Kilty was a mainstay at left tackle for North Dakota in 2023, but previously played right guard and right tackle the previous three seasons. This fall, the 6'5", 305-pound tackle had his best year to date, with a pass blocking grade of 84.9 and an overall offensive grade of 83.0, per Pro Football Focus. For his career, Kilty has allowed just four sacks in 1,286 pass blocking snaps at the FCS level.
Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson, San Diego State
The most recent portal offer was sent out to San Diego State tackle Brandon Crenshaw-Dickson. He has played in 41 games across his four year career in college, with starting experience at both left and right tackle. Crenshaw-Dickson held a PFF grade of 73.5 and a pass blocking grade of 79.1 in 2023. He is a hot commodity on the portal market, fielding offers from TCU, Louisville, NC State, Virginia Tech, Mississippi State and Cal, in addition to the Boilermakers.
More names to keep an eye on:
Sterling Smith: True freshman safety from Holy Cross.
Shitta Sillah: Defensive end from Boston College.
Note: This list will continue to expand when more players officially enter the portal on Monday.
Still awaiting decisions/announcements:
A pair of Boilermakers have already declared for the 2024 NFL Draft in running back Tyrone Tracy Jr., and defensive back Sanoussi Kane, while center Gus Hartwig opted to use his extra year of eligibility. Another Purdue contributor has still yet to make his decision, as Kydran Jenkins could return to West Lafayette after a breakout campaign in 2023.It continues to look more likely that Jenkins stays with the Boilermakers heading into 2024 to pair alongside fellow star outside linebacker Nic Scourton. There has been the idea at least floated out of moving Jenkins to middle linebacker if he indeed returns, but that would likely be a result of Purdue not securing a transfer linebacker out of the portal.
Here are the other Boilermakers that have an extra year of eligibility, but have not disclosed whether they are staying or not.
Dylan Downing
Ben Freehill
Clyde Washington
Garrett Miller
Joe Anderson
Salim Turner-Muhammad
**Turner-Muhammad could apply for a medical waiver that would give him an extra year of eligibility, since he missed all of 2023 with an injury. To the best of my knowledge, that process has not started yet.
