Top 20 Purdue football players: No. 19 LB Jojo Hayden
Purdue has started preparations for the 2026 campaign, gearing toward the season-opener on September 4 at home vs. Indiana State. Let’s count down the top 20 Boilermakers as we march to the start of the season.
Linebacker has not been a position of strength in recent years. Perhaps the addition of Jojo Hayden from Illinois via the portal will change that. He was one of two portal linebackers added by Purdue, joining Penn State’s Anthony Speca. That duo will join anchor ‘backer Charles Correa.
After three years with the Illini, Hayden entered the portal. During his redshirt sophomore campaign, he tallied 26 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a fumble recovery for Illinois this fall.
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The 6-2, 245-pound East St. Louis, Ill., native projects to be a run-stuffer deluxe who can be a physical force between the tackles.
Now, Hayden is in West Lafayette in what will be the final year of his collegiate career, joining a new-look linebacker unit under defensive coordinator Kevin Kane who also will work with holdovers Winston Berglund, Owen Davis, and Parker Meese.
TOP 20 PURDUE PLAYERS
| No. 20: RB Jerrick Gibson |
