Purdue Football: To Leave or To Not Leave, That is the Question

Ah.

2020. The Football Season of COVID and underperforming.

It was a free year for College Football Players, a year in which does not count against their eligibility.

Seniors can come back for one more season if they want and accepted.

Freshman automatically redshirt. Weird, right?

It is a weird situation for athletes and coaches. I am sure in both corners there are athletes that want to leave, but see the transfer portal of nearly 1,000 athletes and don’t want to deal with that and I am sure there are coaches hoping that certain players leave that do not fit their program.

There has to be a few in that situation at Purdue too, right?

So, what seniors have made the decision to leave already? Which ones may come back? I am here to inform you and make guesses with you.

Jackson Anthrop - 5th Year - Wide Receiver

• He can comeback. It would feel weird to not have an Anthrop on a Purdue roster since like the Cold War.

Greg Long - 5th Year - UTSA Transfer - Offensive Tackle

• Greg Long came to Purdue from UTEP for the 2020 Season and was a main stay at right tackle. After fighting injuries at UTEP, Greg was named Honorable Mention All-B1G after starting every game for Purdue.
• There has been chatter that Greg wants to return to Purdue for another season. I personally would love to see him return, it would bring a solid offensive lineman back, and someone who has experience and been in a college weight room for nearly 6 years. He would be an impact player, again

Tyler Coyle - 5th Year - UConn Transfer -LB/S

• After the birth of his child, we did not see much of Coyle, who once lead UCONN in tackles. He started getting back in the rotation late in the season, but he missed so much time, it was hard to tell the difference he was making on what was already a lost season.
• I would again, love to see Coyle back. He would add depth to the OLB/Safety spot, where we are pretty young at.

Semisi Fakasiieki - 5th Year - Linebacker

• Semisi has had a weird run at Purdue. Starting as an interior defensive lineman, then going to defensive end, before losing weight and playing linebacker. I am sure he would love to comeback for one more season and I would be okay with that. He was a solid part of Special Teams in 2020 and could help fill the void left by Derrick Barnes leaving.

J.D. Dellinger - 5th Year - Kicker

• J.D. has announced he is not coming back.

Grant Hermanns - 5th Year - Offensive Tackle

• Grant has announced he is pursuing his NFL Dreams.

Brennan Thieneman - 5th Year - Safety

• Brennan appears to be a candidate that could come back. The former walk on has started many games at Purdue, but has Marvin Grant passed him up at SS? In the last game of the season, it appeared so, as Marvin played much more.

Simeon Smiley - 5th Year - Defensive Back

• Simeon Smiley played a lot of nickel corner for us this season. He is an experience cornerback for us, but in seasons past, he has gotten beat often. I am sure the new defensive coordinator would love to have a 6th year corner in his secondary - but is he better than the young guys?

Jared Sparks - 5th Year - Wide Receiver

• He has announced he is leaving the program

Anthony Watts - 5th Year - Defensive Tackle

• Please come back.

Lorenzo Neal Jr - 5th Year - Nose Tackle

• Please come back.

Derrick Barnes - 5th Year - Linebacker

• Derrick has announced he is pursuing his NFL Dream.