Purdue Football Among 7 Finalists to Land 4-Star Defensive End From Chicago

Purdue is among seven finalists to land one of the top overall prospects in the 2026 recruiting class. On Friday, Allen Trieu of 247Sports reported that four-star defensive end McHale Blade is still seriously considering Purdue as a landing spot.

Blade is a 6-foot-4, 245-pound defensive end out of Chicago. Along with Purdue, the 2026 prospect included Illinois, Michigan, Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Stanford, USC, and Wisconsin in his top seven.

Last season, Blade suffered a season-ending ACL injury and missed his entire junior season. As a sophomore at Hillcrest High School, he proved to be productive in the 2023 campaign. He finished that year with 22 tackles, including five for loss. He totaled 1.5 sacks and accounted for six quarterback hurries.

247Sports has Blade ranked as the No. 210 overall prospect in the class, earning a four-star rating from the recruiting website. He's also listed as the No. 6 player out of Illinois in his cycle.

Blade's top-seven announcement came the same day that Indiana native and Center Grove High School standout defensive lineman Kobe Cherry released his top three schools. He is also considering Purdue, as well as Indiana and Wisconsin.

Purdue currently has six players committed in the 2026 recruiting class, ranking 16th in the Big Ten rankings.