WEST LAFAYETTE — Zach Crabtree was hired to build and develop an offensive line Purdue football has struggled to piece together for years. The Boilermakers brought in a mix of talented freshman and experienced transfers in hope of an upgrade. Now Crabtree and offensive coordinator Josh Henson are tasked with not only finding the best five, but the five who work best as a cohesive unit. With only one full-time starter returning, the spring and fall camps included a lot of time devoted to mixing and matching. Along the way, Purdue's staff believes it built depth in addition to a first five that can push Big Ten defenses.
Purdue's offensive line 2026 outlook Who is back (2025 stats): Mason Vicari, junior (11 games); Rocco Daly, sophomore; Marques Easley, sophomore (1 game); Tom Ewing, junior; Max Parrott, sophomore (11 games); Jude McCoskey, senior (11 games); Ethan Trent, junior (12 games, 6 starts); Sankeerth Veluri, redshirt freshman; Joey Tanona, senior (12 starts) New faces: Boaz Stanley, senior (12 games, 9 starts in 2025 at South Carolina); James Williams Jr., freshman; Micah Banuelos, junior (10 games, 5 starts in 2025 at USC); Brock Brownfield, freshman; Nuku Mafi, sophomore (12 starts at Oklahoma State in 2025); Terrell Berryhill Jr., freshman; Makai Saina, sophomore (transfer from USC); Rico Schreiber, freshman; Jatavius Shivers, junior (7 games at South Carolina in 2025) More: Purdue lands corporate sponsorship deal for football field and more Who will start for Purdue on offensive line? The official starters won't be certain until kickoff on Sept. 4 against Indiana State, but fall camp is near its end and it's starting to appear position battles have worked themselves out, aside from perhaps left tackle. Joey Tanona, who started all 12 games last season, likely will end up there but he's been out while recovering from a sprained left ankle. Lately, those reps have been going to Nuku Mafi. Boaz Stanley appears inked in as the starting center. Freshman Brock Brownfield has impressed through his first fall camp and has been the first team left guard the last couple of weeks. Jude McCoskey likely makes his first Boilermaker start against his old team. The right tackle was a two-year starter at Indiana State. Last season he played on special teams and in certain offensive packages in his first year at Purdue. Micah Banuelos is the best bet at right guard based on camp performance and fit. Building depth There's an old adage you're only as good as the least talented player on your team. It's why Crabtree has worked on getting all 18 offensive linemen game ready. "We all have the pieces," Mafi said. "Everyone is good at every position." Rico Schreiber is a monster of a man, listed at 6-foot-8 and 330 pounds as a true freshman. He certainly has the appearance and skill of a future starting tackle and he'll factor into the mix this season. Mason Vicari, Marques Easley and Max Parrott all supply depth at guard. Terrell Berryhill is another freshman who has had moments and shown if Purdue can retain a talented front it signed in 2026, the future could be bright, Jatavius Shivers also has proven to be worthy of tackle reps, while having Ethan Trent as a backup center, someone with Big Ten starting experience, is a luxury Purdue didn't have at this time last season. Crabtree anticipates playing a lot of linemen early in the season to find out who is game ready, which means the first five may not be solidified even when the offense first takes the field. "In this position, you're always going to need somebody else at some point in the season to step up," Crabtree said. "Game reps are invaluable. When you've got guys that can take them, you try to get guys in there as long as there's no drop off from those five." Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on X and Instagram @samueltking. This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue football builds depth, stability on offensive line