Purdue Football 2026 Position Preview — Quarterbacks

• Ryan Browne (Jr.) — Browne is the incumbent under center for the Boilermakers, starting all 12 games during the 2025 season. He concluded his first season as the starter, throwing for 2,153 yards and nine touchdowns with a 58.9% completion rate. He also scored four times on the ground. He did throw 10 interceptions and struggled with his consistency throughout the year. Browne is the most experienced quarterback on the roster heading into the 2026 campaign.

• Bennett Meredith (Sr.) — After transferring in from Arizona State in 2022, Meredith has been a reserve in Purdue's quarterback room. He has appeared in just three games, all of those coming in 2023. The senior has completed 7-of-11 passes for 43 total yards. Meredith has been named an Academic All-Big Ten player in each of the last two seasons.

• Evans Chuba (So.) — The 2025 season was Chuba's first in West Lafayette, transferring in from Washington State. This will be his third season at the college level, but the Canadian quarterback has yet to take a snap in a game. It remains a bit of a mystery what Chuba can bring to the offense if inserted into a contest, but he will be part of the race to serve as Browne's backup.

• Garyt Odom (RS Fr.) — Odom committed to Purdue as a member of the 2025 recruiting class, choosing to play for his father, head coach Barry Odom. A three-star prospect coming out of high school, Odom also did not play in any games during his freshman season.

Newcomers

• Corin Berry (Fr.) — Berry is the only newcomer to Purdue's quarterback room for the 2026 season. He was a three-star prospect out of Covina, Calif., and was ranked as the No. 52 quarterback in his recruiting class. Berry is more of a pocket-passing quarterback, but still moves well outside of the pocket. He's an intriguing freshman who could factor into the battle for a backup quarterback.

Who wins the starting job?

• Ryan Browne

Odom has been vocal in his support for Browne and has said that he believes the junior quarterback can help Purdue win several football games this coming season. Although there were some rough patches in 2025, Odom's belief in Browne never wavered.

Most schools have a quarterback competition in the spring and throughout fall camp, but that's not really going to be the case in West Lafayette. Browne is going to be the starting quarterback for the 2026 season. Not only is he the most talented player at the position, but he's the only one with any significant game experience.

The experience in Purdue's quarterback room is extremely limited. Meredith played in three games in 2023. After that, the remaining three quarterbacks have yet to take a college snap.

Area for improvement

• Consistency

Purdue needs to improve in several areas, and consistency under center is a big one. Not all of the mistakes the offense made one season ago fell on Browne's shoulders, but he still has plenty of room for improvement.

In the Boilermakers' 33-17 loss to USC early last season, Browne was responsible for three red zone turnovers. He also threw a game-changing pick-six late against Minnesota and had a late fumble in a home game against Rutgers, which led to a game-winning field goal for the Scarlet Knights. Those are the mistakes that can't happen for a second-year starter.

Browne is going to be playing with an upgraded offensive line, a skilled running back room and increased production at the wide receiver position. Those improvements should make life easier for the quarterback. But he still must execute at a high level without making the late-game mistakes.

The biggest question

• Who will be Browne's backup?

We know who Purdue's starter will be this season, but who will be the second guy in the room? That's probably the most interesting storyline among the quarterbacks entering the 2026 season.

This is likely a position battle that comes down to Chuba and Berry, with Meredith and Odom probably penciled in further down the depth chart. Chuba had a full year learning Josh Henson's offense last season, but Berry has a big arm and can playmake.

Purdue's backup situation could be one that changes throughout the course of the season, especially as Berry takes more reps.

One final thought

It's no secret that the coaching staff has put a lot of faith in Browne. After providing stability for the Boilermakers under center last year and showing flashes of his high potential, he's earned the opportunity to be Purdue's unquestioned leader.

The concern, however, is Purdue's lack of experience beyond Browne on the depth chart. The four other quarterbacks in the room have combined to play in three total games, all of those attributed to Meredith.

If Browne needs to leave a game for any reason, Purdue's experience drops substantially. Another quarterback could be taking his first significant snap in an important moment. The Boilermakers may like what they have in terms of depth, but adding a veteran alongside Browne from the transfer portal would have helped in this situation.

From a talent and depth perpsective, Purdue is in good shape. The only thing the room is lacking is experience behind Browne.