Purdue Football: Brian Lankford-Johnson to transfer

Brian Lankford-Johnson posted on twitter today that he will be transferring out of the Purdue football program.

Lankford-Johnson’s Purdue career got off to a fast start as a freshman, appearing in 11 games in 2016. He rushed for 314 yards on 48 carries (6.5 yards per rush) and 2 touchdowns and caught 11 passes for 90 yards.

Lankford-Johnson’s opportunities dried up in 2017 with the emergence of Tario Fuller, the reintegration of D.J. Knox, the weaponization of Richie Worship, and the eventual resurgence of Markel Jones . Simply put, Purdue didn’t have enough carries to go around, and Lankford-Johnson ended up as the odd man out in the running back rotation.

In 2017, Lankford-Johnson rushed for 86 yards on 22 carries and caught 3 passes for 11 yards. He only appeared in 5 games last season.

This move makes sense for both Purdue and Lankford-Johnson. Lankford-Johnson is too talented to sit on the bench for another season, and he has a redshirt year available, which is crucial for a transfer. Purdue clears up a roster spot at a position that was over recruited.

I’ll be interested to see where Lankford-Johnson ends up, because I still think he has the potential to be a solid back for a program down the line.

We wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors and thank him for the hard work and effort he put into the program.

Sometimes things just don’t work out.