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There was some surprise news tonight, as confirmed by Tom Dienhart at Gold and Black Illustrated:
https://t.co/AaooEWpa9X has confirmed that junior TE Darius Pittman has left the program.
— Tom Dienhart (@TomDienhart1) September 4, 2019
Pittman only had two receptions for 23 yards in his career and a random kickoff return for 16 yards back in 2017. Still, he was a major contributor as a blocking tight end and on special teams. He had played in 24 of a possible 27 games to this point, including last Friday night at Nevada. He had a random kickoff return of 11 yards on Friday night on Purdue’s final possession, but that was the only time he touched the ball.
It is interesting that Pittman decided to leave like this so suddenly when he had been a contributor since the first game of his true freshman season in 2017. He wasn’t getting the targets of a Brycen Hopkins, but he was playing.
His departure leaves Payne Durham as the clear No. 2 tight end. Durham did play some on Friday. Garrett Miller and Kyle Bilodeau, both true freshmen, will likely see more action. Neither played on Friday. Durham, Miller, Bilodeau, and Hopkins are the only four tight ends on the roster.
This also frees up a scholarship for 2020 and beyond. We are down to just 11 scholarship seniors for next season now, counting Alex Criddle and Elijah Sindelar. Richie Worship and Tario Fuller might be potential sixth year guys, but we won’t know until after the season.
Once again, to illustrate our youth, Purdue is set to have 9 scholarship players finish their elligibility, 11 in 2020, and 13 in 2021. That’s 33 upper classmen including this year’s sophomores and the rest are freshmen or walk-ons.
Purdue Football Scholarship Grid
Player | Position | ('21-'22) | ('22-'23) | ('23-'24) | ('24-'25) | ('25-'26) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Player | Position | ('21-'22) | ('22-'23) | ('23-'24) | ('24-'25) | ('25-'26) |
Tyler Coyle | S | FREE YEAR | ||||
Greg Long | OL | FREE YEAR | ||||
J.D. Dellinger | K | FREE YEAR | ||||
Anthony Watts | DT | FREE YEAR | ||||
Simeon Smiley | CB | FREE YEAR | ||||
Semisi Fakasiieiki | DE | FREE YEAR | ||||
Jackson Anthrop | WR | FREE YEAR | ||||
Brennan Thieneman | S | FREE YEAR | ||||
Tyler Witt | OL | Grad Transfer | Grad Transfer | |||
Alexander Horvath | RB | Junior (RS) | Senior (5) | |||
Robert McWilliams | LB/DE | Junior (RS) | Senior (5) | |||
Dedrick Mackey | DB | Junior (RS) | Senior (5) | |||
Mark Stickford | OL | Junior (RS) | Senior (5) | |||
DJ Washington | OL | Junior (RS) | Senior (5) | |||
Aidan O'Connell | QB | Junior (RS) | Senior (5) | |||
Austin Burton | QB | Junior (RS) | Senior (5) | |||
Jaylan Alexander | LB | Junior | Senior | |||
DaMarcus Mitchell | LB | Junior | Senior | |||
Jeff Marks | DT | Sophomore (RS) | Junior (RS) | Senior (5) | ||
Jack Plummer | QB | Sophomore (RS) | Junior (RS) | Senior (5) | ||
Elijah Ball | DB | Sophomore (RS) | Junior (RS) | Senior (5) | ||
Kadin Smith | DB | Sophomore (RS) | Junior (RS) | Senior (5) | ||
Jack Cravaack | DE | Sophomore (RS) | Junior (RS) | Senior (5) | ||
Eric Miller | OT | Sophomore (RS) | Junior (RS) | Senior (5) | ||
Lawrence Johnson | DT | Sophomore (RS) | Junior (RS) | Senior (5) | ||
Will Bramel | OL | Sophomore (RS) | Junior (RS) | Senior (5) | ||
Jimmy McKenna | OL | Sophomore (RS) | Junior (RS) | Senior (5) | ||
K.J. Stokes | DE | Sophomore (RS) | Junior (RS) | Senior (5) | ||
Branson Deen | DE | Sophomore (RS) | Junior (RS) | Senior (5) | ||
Jack Sullivan | DE | Sophomore (RS) | Junior (RS) | Senior (5) | ||
Cory Trice | DB | Sophomore (RS) | Junior (RS) | Senior (5) | ||
Kory Taylor | WR | Sophomore (RS) | Junior (RS) | Senior (5) | ||
Payne Durham | TE | Sophomore (RS) | Junior (RS) | Senior (5) | ||
DJ Johnson | CB | Sophomore (RS) | Junior (RS) | Senior (5) | ||
George Karlaftis | DE | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | ||
Brooks Cormier | P | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | ||
Cam Allen | CB | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | ||
King Doerue | RB | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | ||
Milton Wright | WR | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | ||
Jalen Graham | DB | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | ||
David Bell | WR | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | ||
TJ Sheffield | WR | Freshman (RS) | Sophomore (RS) | Junior (RS) | Senior (5) | |
Marvin Grant | DB | Freshman (RS) | Sophomore (RS) | Junior (RS) | Senior (5) | |
Da'Joun Hewitt | RB | Freshman (RS) | Sophomore (RS) | Junior (RS) | Senior (5) | |
Mershawn Rice | ATH | Freshman (RS) | Sophomore (RS) | Junior (RS) | Senior (5) | |
Cam Craig | OL | Freshman (RS) | Sophomore (RS) | Junior (RS) | Senior (5) | |
Paul Piferi | QB | Freshman (RS) | Sophomore (RS) | Junior (RS) | Senior (5) | |
Kyle Bilodeau | TE | Freshman (RS) | Sophomore (RS) | Junior (RS) | Senior (5) | |
Dave Monnot III | OL | Freshman (RS) | Sophomore (RS) | Junior (RS) | Senior (5) | |
Spencer Holstege | OL | Freshman (RS) | Sophomore (RS) | Junior (RS) | Senior (5) | |
Dontay Hunter | DE | Freshman (RS) | Sophomore (RS) | Junior (RS) | Senior (5) | |
Nyles Beverly | CB | Freshman (RS) | Sophomore (RS) | Junior (RS) | Senior (5) | |
Khali Saunders | LB | Freshman (RS) | Sophomore (RS) | Junior (RS) | Senior (5) | |
Garrett Miller | TE | Freshman (RS) | Sophomore (RS) | Junior (RS) | Senior (5) | |
Sulaiman Kpaka | DL | Freshman (RS) | Sophomore (RS) | Junior (RS) | Senior (5) | |
Steven Faucheux | DT | Freshman (RS) | Sophomore (RS) | Junior (RS) | Senior (5) | |
Kyle Jornigan | OL | Freshman (RS) | Sophomore (RS) | Junior (RS) | Senior (5) | |
Jacob Wahlberg | LB | Freshman (RS) | Sophomore (RS) | Junior (RS) | Senior (5) | |
Chase Triplett | LB | Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | |
Gus Hartwig | OL | Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | |
Jared Bycznski | OL | Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | |
Ben Kreul | LB | Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | |
Michael Alaimo | QB | Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | |
Tirek Murphy | RB | Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | |
Josh Kaltenberger | OL | Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | |
Collin Sullivan | WR | Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | |
Antonio Stevens | DB | Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | |
Kydran Jenkins | LB | Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | |
Sanoussi Kane | DB | Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | |
Clyde Washington | LB | Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | |
Greg Hudgins | DE | Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | |
Marcellus Moore | WR | Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | |
Nalin Fox | OL | Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | |
Maliq Carr | WR | Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | |
Bryce Austin | DT | Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | |
Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen | WR | Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | |
Anthony Romphf | DB | Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | |
Ryan Brandt | LB | Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | |
Jaelin Alstott-VanDeVanter | OL | Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | |
Preston Terrell | WR | Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | |
Tristan Cox | LB | Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | |
Rickey Smith | ATH | Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | |
Brandon Calloway | DB | Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | |
Zach Richards | OL | Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | |
Khordae Sydnor | DE | Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | |
Deion Burks | WR | Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | |
Mahamane Moussa | OL | Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | |
Ja'Quez Cross | ATH | Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | |
Drew Biber | TE | Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | |
Jah'Von Grigsby | DB | Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | |
Yanni Karlaftis | LB | Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | |
Marcus Mbow | OL | Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | |
Brady Allen | QB | Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | |
Dominack Moon | LB | Freshman | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | |
Yearly Limit Used (25 Max) | ||||||
Total Scholarships Left | 1 | -1 | 9 | 32 | 83 | |
Total Scholarships Used | 84 | 86 | 76 | 53 | 2 |