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Sep 14, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish tight end Charlie Selna (89) runs the ball against Purdue Boilermakers defensive back Dillon Thieneman (31) and defensive lineman Damarjhe Lewis (34) during the first quarter at Ross-Ade Stadium. Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Purdue’s Major Rebuild Looms Ahead of 2025 Notre Dame Matchup

Originally posted on Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI
By Nick Shepkowski | Last updated Jul 2, 2025 7:12 PM ET

Notre Dame and Purdue are longtime in-state rivals, but the two stopped playing regularly following the 2014 clash in Indianapolis. The two met in South Bend again in 2021 before playing in West Lafayette last year for the first time since 2013. That game was amongst the most lopsided in the long history of both programs as Notre Dame routed the Boilermakers, 66-7.

Purdue entered that contest 1-0, but wouldn't win again last season. After finishing 1-11 with the majority of those games being non-competitive, Purdue fired head coach Ryan Walters and brought in UNLV head coach Barry Odom to direct the ship.

According to one anonymous coach in the Big Ten, though, Purdue's football issues go much deeper than the head coach, and if the Boilermakers are going to win big again, the program needs major reconstruction.

Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Speaking to Athlon Sports for their 2025 College Football Preview magazine that is on newsstands now, the anonymous conference rival coach said the following of Purdue:

"This is a really rough rebuild, and it's not going to be an add-NIL, instant-win situation like Indiana was. ...Barry (Odum) is going to be a steadier hand than Ryan (Walters); he brings a lot of experience in and knows how to sustain a program. If you're looking for something to build on this season, it's line play on both sides. (Josh) Henson is a good offensive mind and good OL coach, too..."

The anonymous coach then went back to Purdue's portal and NIL concerns, which will be key in the Boilermakers ultimately turning things around.

"They're still pulling guys in from the portal and auditioning at spots right now. They don't have a quarterback settled, and they don't really have a receiving corps. It's going to be rough for a while, but they're banking on the more experienced head coach being able to compete long-term in the league. How do they respond to what Indiana's doing with NIL? That's the bigger question than anything on the field."

Nick Shepkowski's Quick Takeaway:

I'm too young to remember much Purdue football before Joe Tiller so I don't remember the dark days where they went 12 seasons between bowl appearances (1985-1996). Purdue has usually been a pretty decent team aside from the Danny Hope days, and one that could knock a big-time program off, even after Drew Brees graduated.

Nikos Frazier / Journal & Courier via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Last year's Purdue outfit was among the worst power conference teams I've ever seen.

Odom has experience at Missouri, another program that doesn't offer nearly the same historically as its conference foes, but getting to the regular .500 level he had the Tigers at feels like a reach right now.

Purdue seemed to be on the up when the deal between it and Notre Dame was originally signed, but with head coach Jeff Brohm off to Louisville since then, expectations for Purdue through when this series ends in 2028 are incredibly low.

This article first appeared on Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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