| Year: | 2021 |
| Team: | Purdue Boilermakers |
| Sport: | football |
| Conference: | Big Ten Conference |
| Short Conf: | Big Ten |
| Division: | West Division |
| Record: | 9–4 |
| Conf Record: | 6–3 |
| Hc Year: | 5th |
| Cooc1 Year: | 5th |
| Cooc2 Year: | 4th |
| Dc Year: | 1st |
| Codc1 Year: | 1st |
| Codef Coach2: | Mark Hagen |
| Codc2 Year: | 1st |
| Champion: | Music City Bowl champion |
| Bowl Result: | W 48–45 OT vs. Tennessee |
The 2021 Purdue Boilermakers football team represented Purdue University during the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Boilermakers played their home games at Ross–Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana, and competed as members of the West Division in the Big Ten Conference. This was head coach Jeff Brohm's fifth season with Purdue.
On December 17, 2020, Purdue announced that defensive coordinator Bob Diaco would not return to the coaching staff.[1] On January 10, 2021, the school hired Mark Hagen as defensive line coach, replacing Terrance Jamison. Hagen had coached at Purdue from 2000−10 and was most recently at Texas.[2] Later that month, Brad Lambert from Marshall was hired as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach,[3] while Ron English from Florida was hired as cornerback coach.[4] In April, Jamal Adams from Navy was hired as cornerback coach. On June 16, Jeff Brohm announced that Lambert, English, and Hagen would all serve as co-defensive coordinators in addition to their regular coaching duties, with Lambert making the game-day play calls.[5] Former graduate assistants Justin Sinz and TJ McCollum would move to recruiting positions. In August, David Elson from Marian University was hired as quality control assistant and Mel Mills was hired as director of player development.[6]
Outgoing
Notable departures from the 2020 squad included:[7]
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maliq Carr | 6 | 6'4" | 230 | Sophomore | Transferred | |||
| Amad Anderson | 10 | Wide receiver | 5'11" | 170 | Junior (Redshirt) | Transferred | ||
| Jared Sparks | 12 | Wide receiver | 6'1" | 200 | Senior (Redshirt) | Graduate transfer | ||
| Geovonte Howard | 13 | 5'11" | 185 | Senior | Transferred | |||
| Steven Faucheux | 93 | 6'5" | 272 | Sophomore (Redshirt) | Transferred |
Incoming
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes | Prev. School | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Octavius Brothers | 20 | Offensive lineman | 6'2" | 210 | Sophomore | Transferred | Auburn | ||
| Broc Thompson | 29 | Wide receiver | 6'3" | 181 | Junior | Transferred | Marshall | ||
| Damarjhe Lewis | 34 | Linebacker / Defensive back | 6'3" | 301 | Freshman (Redshirt) | Transferred | Indiana | ||
| Dylan Downing | 38 | Running back | 5'11" | 212 | Freshman (Redshirt) | Transferred | UNLV | ||
| Tyler Witt | 78 | Offensive lineman | 6'2" | 295 | Graduate | Graduate transfer | Western Kentucky | ||
| Joseph Anderson | 95 | Defensive end | 6'4" | 268 | Sophomore | Transferred | South Carolina | ||
| C. J. McWilliams | Cornerback | 5'11" | 164 | Senior (Redshirt) | Graduate transfer | Florida |
See also: 2021 NFL draft. Boilermakers who were picked in the 2021 NFL Draft:
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 49 | Rondale Moore | Wide receiver | Arizona Cardinals | |
| 4 | 113 | Derrick Barnes | Linebacker | Detroit Lions |
The Boilermakers signed a total of 16 recruits.
The 2021 schedule consists of 6 home and 6 away games in the regular season.
Listed in the order that they were released
| Chuck Bednarik Award | George Karlaftis | DE | JR | July 19, 2021 | [8] | |
| Maxwell Award | David Bell | WR | JR | [9] | ||
| Fred Biletnikoff Award | David Bell | WR | JR | July 22, 2021 | [10] | |
| Bronko Nagurski Trophy | George Karlaftis | DE | JR | July 27, 2021 |
| Player | Award | Date Awarded | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Bell | Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week | October 18, 2021 | [11] | |
| Cam Allen | Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week | |||
| Jeff Brohm | Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week | October 19, 2021 | [12] | |
| David Bell | Maxwell Award Player of the Week | |||
| Aidan O'Connell | Davey O'Brien National Quarterback of the Week | |||
| Jalen Graham | Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week | November 1, 2021 | [13] | |
| Aidan O’Connell | Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week | November 8, 2021 | [14] |
| Player | Position | Coaches | Media | AP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Bell | WR | 1st Team | 1st Team | ||
| George Karlaftis | DE | 1st Team | 1st Team | ||
| Aidan O'Connell | QB | 2nd Team | 2nd Team | ||
| Payne Durham | TE | HM | |||
| Gus Hartwig | OL | HM | |||
| Greg Long | OL | HM | |||
| Tyler Witt | OL | HM | HM | ||
| Milton Wright | WR | HM | HM | ||
| Jaylan Alexander | LB | HM | HM | ||
| Cam Allen | S | HM | HM | ||
| Branson Deen | DT | HM | HM | ||
| Jalen Graham | LB | HM | HM | ||
| Dedrick Mackey | CB | HM | |||
| Mitchell Fineran | K | HM | HM |
| Player | Position | AFCA[16] | AP[17] | FWAA[18] | WCFF[19] | TSN[20] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | 1st Team | 1st Team | 1st Team | 1st Team | 2nd Team | ||
| DL | 1st Team | 3rd Team | 2nd Team | 2nd Team |
See also: 2021 Oregon State Beavers football team.
See also: 2021 Illinois Fighting Illini football team.
| Statistics | ILL | PUR |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 17 | 17 |
| Total yards | 275 | 315 |
| Rushes–yards | 42–175 | 26–38 |
| Passing yards | 100 | 277 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 14–27–0 | 24–40–2 |
| Time of possession | 33:45 | 26:15 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | Passing | 14/26, 100 yards | |
| Rushing | Josh McCray | 24 rushes, 156 yards | |
| Receiving | 3 receptions, 31 yards | ||
| Purdue | Passing | 12/19, 182 yards, TD, 2 INT | |
| Rushing | Dylan Downing | 10 rushes, 39 yards | |
| Receiving | 7 receptions, 88 yards |
See also: 2021 Wisconsin Badgers football team.
See also: 2021 Michigan State Spartans football team.