UCLA is just weeks away from starting its second season in the Big Ten. After capturing seven Big Ten championships during their first year in the conference, the Bruins will look to build upon their inaugural year. Prior to the start of UCLA’s second Big Ten campaign, Daily Bruin Sports will preview football, basketball and other top programs from each school.
Football
2024 Record: 1-11, 0-9 Big Ten
Coach: Barry Odom
Player to watch: Devin Mockobee
New regimes often come with growing pains.
And first-year coaches can face a slew of struggles before they foster improvement.
But Barry Odom could restore hope in Purdue football.
The former UNLV head honcho will join Purdue for the 2025 campaign, marking his inaugural season at the helm of the program.
Odom coached the Rebels for two seasons, helping capture 20 wins and an LA Bowl victory against California in 2024 – the squad’s first bowl triumph since 2000. UNLV also cracked the AP top 25 last season, peaking at No. 19 on Dec. 1.
First-year coach Barry Odom interacts with his players during a practice. Odom helped UNLV achieve a program-high AP poll ranking in 2024, peaking at No. 19. The former linebacker played at Missouri between 1996 and 1999, serving as a team captain during his senior season. (Courtesy of Purdue Athletics)
Odom is bringing eight UNLV transfers along with him as part of his 54-player incoming transfer portal class. However, the Boilermakers also lost 56 athletes in the portal.
One of those departures is rising junior tight end Max Klare, who posted a team-leading 685 receiving yards and a squad-high four receiving touchdowns before transferring to Ohio State last December. The Cincinnati local ranked as the nation’s top-ranked transfer tight end.
The air raid took another hit with the departure of quarterback Hudson Card – Purdue’s starting signal caller for the last two seasons.
Odom is adding former Georgia receivers Nitro Tuggle and Michael Jackson III to replenish the passing attack. Tuggle caught just three passes in his freshman season but was listed as the 24th-ranked receiver in the 2024 recruiting class. Along with Tuggle, Jackson arrives with a plethora of experience, having played three years at USC prior to Georgia. Before Purdue, Jackson boasted 508 combined receiving yards and reached paydirt five times.
The Boilermakers are also returning their ground attack leader in running back Devin Mockobee, who will complete his fourth and final season in 2025. Mockobee is just 1,169 rushing yards away from breaking the program’s career rushing yard record, and he posted 5.0 yards per carry last season.
Mockobee’s impact extends beyond the field, though. Odom labeled the tailback as one of the program’s leaders heading into the 2025 campaign.
Devin Mockobee carries the ball in Purdue’s contest against Oregon on Oct. 19. Mockobee boasts the seventh-most rushing yards in Purdue history, recording 2,466 across his three seasons with the program. (Courtesy of Purdue Athletics)
The first-year coach is also fostering a defensive change after the defensive unit allowed a conference-high 452.7 yards per game, while also surrendering a conference-high 39.9 points per contest during the 2024 season.
Purdue lost its back-end leader when defensive back Dillon Thieneman – the top-ranked safety in the portal – transferred to Oregon in December. Thieneman earned an All-Big Ten honorable mention selection in his sophomore campaign, recording a team-high 104 tackles and swatting six pass attempts.
Thieneman’s secondary partner, Kyndrich Breedlove, joined him in the portal, committing to Arizona State in January. The Nashville local flashed his ball-hawking ability, securing a squad-high three interceptions.
Odom addressed the secondary holes in the transfer portal, acquiring 11 defensive backs – many of whom are reuniting with Purdue defensive backs coach Charles Clark, who coached incoming transfers An’Darius Coffey, Chalil Cummings and Tahj Ra-El during his Memphis stint.
The first-year coach will have a fresh roster to grow alongside him during his first campaign in West Lafayette, Indiana.
And it often helps to persevere with others who are facing the same challenges.
Odom may develop into a head honcho reminiscent of former Purdue coach Joe Tiller – who achieved nine .500-plus campaigns throughout his 12-year stint – if he can adapt to a competitive Big Ten environment.
Men’s Basketball
2024 Record: 24-12, 13-7 Big Ten, Sweet Sixteen appearance
Coach: Matt Painter
Players to watch: Trey Kaufman-Renn & Braden Smith
A superstar’s return can maintain success.
But the return of two staple players can push a squad to the next level.
Purdue men’s basketball is welcoming back its dynamic duo, with forward Trey Kaufman-Renn and guard Braden Smith returning for their senior campaigns after both earned First Team All-Big Ten honors during the 2024-25 season.
Kaufman-Renn boasted a team-high 20.1 points per game and 6.5 rebounds per game last season, where he relied on efficiency to drive his scoring production, netting 59.5% of his field goal attempts and sinking 42.9% of his long-range tries.
Along with guard Fletcher Loyer – who posted a team-high 44.4% 3-point percentage – Kaufman-Renn helped spearhead the Boilermakers’ conference-high 38.2 shooting clip from beyond the arc.
Although the forward earns a majority of his production through his scoring touch and paint presence, Smith represents a more multifaceted option.
The consensus First Team All-American has cemented his status as a collegiate basketball icon. Smith is the only player in NCAA history to eclipse 1,300 points, 700 assists and 500 rebounds across his first three seasons. His 2024-25 campaign set him even further apart as one of the most versatile players in college basketball history.
Smith is the only collegiate player to record at least 550 points, 300 assists, 150 rebounds and 75 steals in a single season.
Yet, the Boilermakers lacked a consistent center to anchor the duo’s dominance after Zach Edey’s graduation in 2024. The back-to-back AP National Player of the Year helped lead the program to its second national championship appearance in his senior season, when Connecticut defeated the squad by 15 points.
Coach Matt Painter gives incoming freshman guard Antoine West Jr. instructions during practice. Painter is heading into his 21st campaign helming the Boilermakers. The former Boilermaker guard played with the squad from 1990 to 1993, helping the team earn three NCAA tournament bids. (Courtesy of Purdue Athletics)
Purdue logged the fifth-fewest rebounds in the Big Ten with just 32.9 rebounds per game last season, a far cry from their 40.4 mark during the 2023-24 campaign – which ranked second in the conference.
The center is often considered the heart of the defense, protecting the rim and the interior.
The Boilermakers particularly felt Edey’s departure in the paint, recording a conference-low 1.6 blocks per affair.
Seven-foot-four center Daniel Jacobsen will likely play a larger role during the 2025-26 campaign. Despite the limited court time – averaging just 13 minutes per game last season, the rising sophomore notched a team-high 1.5 blocks per game and showcased his potential to develop into a dominant Big Ten center.
Center Oscar Cluff will join the fray after transferring from South Dakota State in March. The rising senior led the team in points, rebounds, assists and blocks per contest. His ability to facilitate from the paint may open shooting windows from the perimeter, looking to attack opposing defenses from the inside out.
The Boilermakers could still rely on the prowess of their All-American duo to spark another title push, especially with the team’s improved supporting cast.
Women’s Basketball
2024 Record: 10-19, 3-15 Big Ten
Coach: Katie Gearlds
Player to watch: Taylor Feldman
Players-turned-coaches often succeed due to their practical knowledge of a particular sport.
Yet, Purdue women’s basketball coach Katie Gearlds has struggled in her first five seasons at the helm.
The program has dipped since its 1990s to early 2000s dominance, when the Boilermakers made it to the NCAA tournament in 16-straight seasons, including a 1999 championship run guided by former head honcho Carolyn Peck.
Gearlds’ collegiate career was a marked success, reaching the tournament four times between 2003 and 2007, while also claiming four First Team All-Big Ten selections along with a third team All-American honor during her tenure.
But the former forward has led the Boilermakers to postseason play just once throughout her coaching stint.
Gearlds captured a career-low 10 wins during the 2024-25 campaign, and her squad struggled on both sides of the court, scoring a conference-low 63.4 points per game and allowing a conference-high 75.3 points per game.
Purdue is losing its top three scorers from last season. Guard Destini Lombard – the team’s scoring leader – graduated, while the squad’s assist leader, Rashunda Jones, went to Michigan State, and backcourt weapon Sophie Swanson transferred to Virginia Tech.
As a result, Gearlds focused on replenishing the perimeter unit during the offseason.
Guard Madison Layden-Zay is set to return for a graduate campaign after sitting out the 2024-25 season. Layden-Zay posted 9.8 points per game on a 39.3 3-point shooting clip in the 2023-24 campaign. She is just 38 long-range makes away from becoming the all-time Purdue leader in perimeter baskets.
Purdue shot 32.1% from the three-point line last season – the fourth-lowest clip in the Big Ten – and the graduate student’s long-range stroke may bolster the team’s backcourt performance.
Transfer guard Taylor Feldman may be the Boilermakers’ most prized acquisition. The rising senior was Northern Arizona’s primary facilitator, sporting a team-high 3.9 assists per game during the 2024-2025 campaign. The Tustin, California, local may assume Purdue’s starting point guard role to orchestrate the offense heading into next season.
Coach Katie Gearlds gestures toward the crowd at Mackey Arena. Gearlds helped the squad reach three Sweet Sixteens along with one Elite Eight throughout her playing tenure between 2004 and 2007. The former forward has yet to lead the program past the NCAA tournament first four round across her four-year coaching stint. (Courtesy of Purdue Athletics)
Gearlds also added guards Kiki Smith and Nya Smith, who transferred from Arkansas and UNC Greensboro, respectively.
After earning a NJCAA National Player of the Year honor in 2024, Kiki Smith showcased her ability to spread the floor in the SEC, boasting a squad-high 40.6 clip from beyond the arc.
Nya Smith flashed scoring production and crashed the boards well from the perimeter, posting 10.9 points per affair and 3.9 rebounds per contest.
Gearlds may have a roster that she can mold into a Big Ten dark horse with the new backcourt additions. But she may need to branch outside her frontcourt expertise to untap the squad’s full potential.
Women’s Volleyball
2024 Record: 27-7, 16-4 Big Ten, Sweet Sixteen appearance
Coach: Dave Shondell
Player to watch: Taylor Anderson
Reaching the postseason is an impressive feat.
But earning a championship is the most respected accomplishment in sports.
Purdue women’s volleyball has clinched an NCAA tournament bid in 19 of its last 22 campaigns – including nine-straight appearances – since coach Dave Shondell seized the reins of the program.
But the Boilermakers have yet to hoist a championship trophy.
The return of the Boilermakers’ attacking orchestrator could strengthen their 2025 chances, as setter Taylor Anderson will enter her third year with the Boilermakers. The 2024 Second Team All-Big Ten selection recorded 11.3 assists per set to facilitate an attack that boasted 14.3 kills per stanza – both of which ranked eighth-highest in the nation.
Still, a playmaker can’t reach the same heights if they don’t boast the weapons to finish the job.
Pin-hitting duo Eva Hudson and Chloe Chicoine both transferred from the program, committing to Kentucky and Louisville, respectively.
Both outside hitters earned All-Big Ten honors in 2024, and Hudson sported the most kills per frame in the conference, recording a 4.81 mark.
Purdue added pin hitters Akasha Anderson and Nataly Moravec – who both notched more than 2.50 kills per set last season– to bolster the team’s attacking arsenal and steal talent from conference opponents Michigan State and Iowa.
The Boilermakers also fortified their middle blocker unit after Lourdès Myers transferred and Raven Colvin graduated. The program secured middle blockers Bianka Lulić and Lindsey Miller through the portal to help replace the team’s two block leaders from the 2024 campaign.
Lulić posted 61 blocks throughout her second collegiate campaign, while Miller redshirted last fall. Miller tallied 107 total blocks along with 188 kills in 2023, showcasing her versatile skillset at the net.
The Boilermakers’ 2025 campaign will boast new faces, but the presence of the squad’s returning offensive orchestrator and experienced head honcho may provide the foundation to acclimate the incoming players to the team’s system, spearheading another championship push.
And this time, Purdue may overcome its looming shadow – NCAA tournament elimination.