Hammer and Rails
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Purdue Football Practice Video – August 26, 2026
We’re a little over one week from the startof football season and with classes in session Purdue is starting to get in game mode. One are where it is looking for improved performance is along the defensive line, where a wealth of transfer is looking to have a major impact. First, we have defensive line […]
2026 Purdue Football: Best Case/Worst Case
When I wrote this column last year I said I was the least excited I have ever been about a college football season. That ennui has now been topped, because there is not a lot of hope going into this year: A total of five preseason top 25 teams are on the schedule. Somehow, that […]
Purdue Football – 2026 Countdown to Kickoff: #10 – Jesse Watson & Ta’Vari Hampton
Jesse Watson *Note: Name links to official Purdue Bio. Bio Position: WR Height: 5’9” Weight: 175 Hometown: St. Louis, MO Recruiting Class: 2024 Eligibility Remaining: Redshirt Sophomore High School Recruiting Rankings: 3* Recruit High School College Career 2025 Season – Purdue 2026 – Season Outlook Watson is now in his third year with the program. During his first […]
Hammer and Rails Readers Reacts Survey: How Many Big Ten Wins Will Purdue Football Have in 2026?
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NCAA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Purdue fans and fans across the country. Purdue football season is less than two weeks away and so I want to know not how many total wins Purdue football will have, but how […]
Opponent Preview: Week 9 – Penn State Nittany Lions
Penn State Nittany Lions Game Information Week: 9 Date: Saturday, October 31, 2026 Location: University Park, Pennsylvania Time: TBA TV: TBA Head Coach – Matt Campbell Seasons at School (as head coach): 0 Overall Coaching Record: 107-70 (‘11-‘15) – Toledo: 35-15 (’16-‘25) – Iowa State: 72-55 2025 Results Overall Record: 7-6 Conference Record: 3-6 Nevada: […]
Boiler Alert! Purdue Football Heads to Iowa City
There are some teams that you just know what you’re getting when you play them. Iowa has been one of the most consistent teams in the Big Ten conference for quite a while now. Now, does that mean consistently winning the Big Ten? No. No it does not. What it does mean though is that […]
Purdue Football – 2026 Countdown to Kickoff – #11 – Tra’Mar Harris and Keyshawn Burgos
Tra’Mar Harris BIO: Position: WR Height: 6’1” Weight: 200 Hometown: Cincinnati, OH Recruiting Class: 2024 Eligibility Remaining: Sophomore High School Recruiting Rankings: 3* composite from 247 High School Highlights: 2026 Season Outlook: Harris, at this point of his career, is buried on the depth chart with established upperclassmen and transfers that appear more ready to get on the […]
Hammer and Rails Readers React Survey Results: Time to End the Notre Dame Series?
We’ve reached the end of another week with a lovely weekend ahead for us. For me that means it’s time to go enjoy some youth soccer. I know everyone is excited to see if my son’s team can best their winless season from last year. I know I am! We’ve improved our coaching in the […]
Boiler Alert! Purdue Gets Progressive (Insurance) & Maryland Preview
Ryan and I have returned to talk about the newest Purdue football deal. I did find it a bit funny that in last week’s episode we talked about how Purdue’s athletic department has typically taken a (small c) conservative approach to things then this week we are talking about Purdue getting Progressive (insurance money). I […]
Opponent Preview: Week 7 – Washington Huskies
Washington Huskies Game Information Week: 7 Date: Friday, October 16, 2026 Location: West Lafayette, Indiana Time: 8 PM EDT TV: Fox Head Coach – Jedd Fisch Seasons at School (as head coach): 3 Overall Coaching Record: 32-33 (’21 – ‘23) Arizona: 16-21 (’24 – 25) Washington: 15-11 2025 Results Overall Record: 9-4 Conference Record: 5-4 […]
Purdue Football – 2026 Countdown to Kickoff: #17 – Bisi Owens & Traveon Wright
Bisi Owens Bio Position: WR Height: 6’4” Weight: 217 Hometown: Cooksville, MD High School: Glenelg Former Team: Spent 4 seasons at Penn. Eligibility Remaining: One year College Career 2025 Season – Penn 2026 – Season Outlook Slated to start at WR in his final year of eligibility Owens will come into a WR room […]
Opponent Preview: Week 6 – Minnesota Golden Gophers
Minnesota Golden Gophers Game Information Week: 6 Date: Saturday, October 10, 2026 Location: West Lafayette, Indiana Time: TBA TV: TBA Head Coach – P.J. Fleck Seasons at School (as head coach): 10 Overall Coaching Record: 96-66 Western Michigan (30-22) Minnesota (66-44) 2025 Results Overall Record: 8-5 Conference Record: 5-4 Buffalo: W- 23-10 Northwestern State: W- […]
Hammer and Rails Readers Reacts Survey: Ending the Notre Dame Series
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NCAA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Purdue fans and fans across the country. Purdue football has been in a bad way for a number of years now. It’s been roughly since the Eisenhower administration since Purdue won a Big […]
Purdue Football Media Video – 8/17/2026
We begin another week of preseason prep for the 2026 Purdue football season. The season opener against Indiana State is a little over two weeks away and the team has been putting in the work. Today we have a series of updates on the team’s progress, first from head coach Barry Odom: There is no […]
Boiler Alert! Tommy McClelland’s First Task & Transformation of Penn State
Ryan and I are back to chatting about Purdue football and this time we talk about Purdue’s game against Penn State which in the second half of the season. Purdue will travel to Penn State to take on the Nittany Lions and while Penn State had a down season last year this is not a […]
New Purdue AD Tommy McClelland’s Most Pressing Task: Staff Roundtable
I wanted to reach out to the staff to end this week to see if they had an idea for what the first thing that they want Tommy McClelland to work on as he assumes the role of AD in the coming months. Ledman: I don’t really even need words to give you my opinion. […]
Hammer and Rails Readers Reacts Survey Results: Grading the Tommy McClelland Hire
We’ve reached the end of another week folks. For a lot of people around the state of Indiana and elsewhere it might have meant you sent your kids back to school, you went back to school, or if you’re a teacher you went back to work. So I hope you had a good week. Now […]
Opponent Preview: Week 5 – Illinois Fighting Illini
Illinois Fighting Illini Game Information Week: 5 Date: Saturday, September 26, 2026 Location: Champaign, Illinois Time: TBA TV: TBA Head Coach – Bret Bielema Seasons at Illinois (as head coach): 6 Overall Coaching Record: 134-84 2006-2012 – Wisconsin: 68-24 2013-2017 – Arkansas: 29-34 2021-Current – Illinois: 37-26 2025 Results Overall Record: 9-4 Conference Record: 5-4 […]
Boiler Alert! Purdue Volleyball Preseason & Ryan Walters Returns
Somehow Ryan Walters returned! Or at least that’s how it would have been written if this were a very subpar Star Wars movie. Of course we know that Ryan Walters will return to Ross-Ade Stadium because he is the defensive coordinator of the Washington Huskies who will be traveling to Purdue for a week 7 […]
Staff Roundtable: Purdue’s Hire of Tommy McClelland
We had big news in the Purdue universe of late but of course you all know this. So, I wanted to send out an email to the staff to see what they thought of this hire. Yes, it’s new, yes it’s early, no we can’t know for sure where this will end but it’s time […]
Opponent Preview: Week 4 – Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame Fighting Irish Game Information Week: 4 Date: Saturday, September 26, 2026 Location: West Lafayette, Indiana Time: TBA TV: TBA Head Coach – Marcus Freeman Seasons at School (as head coach): 4 Overall Coaching Record: 43-12 2021-2026: Notre Dame – 43-12 2025 Results Overall Record: 10-2 Miami (FL): L – 24-27 Texas A&M: L […]
Purdue Football – 2026 Countdown to Kickoff – #24 – Raderrion Daniels and Izaiah Wright
Raderrion Daniels *Note: Name links to official Purdue Bio. Bio Position: DB Height: 6’1” Weight: 185 Hometown: Memphis, TN Recruiting Class: 2026 Eligibility Remaining: True Freshman – 5 in 5 High School Recruiting Rankings: 3* composite from 247 High School High School Highlights 2026 – Season Outlook Well, for Daniels even if things looked promising going into camp […]
Hammer and Rails Readers Reacts Survey: Grading The Tommy McClelland Hire
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NCAA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Purdue fans and fans across the country. This one should be fun based on the comments that we’ve seen on the article Travis wrote. This week I want to have each of you […]
Opponent Preview: Week 3 – UCLA Bruins
UCLA Bruins Game Information Week: 3 Date: Saturday, September 19, 2026 Location: Pasadena, California Time: 11 PM EDT TV: Big 10 Network Head Coach – Bob Chesney Seasons at School (as head coach): 0 Coaching Record at School: 0-0 Overall Coaching Record: 132-52 Salve Regina (23-9) Assumption (44-16) Holy Cross (44-21) James Madison (21-6) 2025 Results […]
Purdue Football Practice Video: August 10
Fall practice is underway as the season kicks off for the Boilermakers in a little over three weeks. Today we have a wealth of video to view, beginning with head coach Barry Odom’s remarks after this morning’s practice: Wide Receiver Xavier Townsend has been a player turning heads so far, and he plays at a […]
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