Forty-one days until the freshman who share the number forty-one open their Purdue careers.
# 41 – Mason Alnutt
Defensive End
6’4”, 250
Freshman
East Amherst, N.Y. (Canisius High School)
Projection: Deep Depth / Redshirt
Alnutt, a consensus three-star defensive end out of Buffalo, New York is a member of Barry Odom’s inaugural 2025 recruiting class. Coach Odom and staff showed interest in Alnutt while at UNLV and then carried that over to Purdue, where he chose the Boilermakers over offers from Buffalo, Bowling Green, and UNLV. At 6’4”, 250, Alnutt comes into Purdue with great size for a defensive end. It’s easy to see what the coaching staff likes in terms of the measurables.
I expect Mason to redshirt, but at his size, it’s not out of the question that he finds a way onto the field on special teams for at least four games while still maintaining his redshirt.
# 41 – Jon Grimmett
Tight End
6’5”, 225
Freshman
Pauls Valley, Oklahoma (Pauls Valley High School)
Projection: Deep Depth / Redshirt
Jon Grimmett, a consensus three-star tight end out of Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, is a member of Barry Odom’s inaugural 2025 recruiting class. Like Mason Alnutt, Grimmett was a player Coach Odom had an interest in at UNLV, and carried that interest over to Purdue. The Boilermakers beat out Tulsa, UNLV, UTSA, and Arkansas State for his services.
Grimmett was a great athlete in high school, playing both safety and tight end for his high school. He had 316 yards and 12 touchdowns in his final season of high school football. While he didn’t put up extraordinary yardage, his 12 touchdowns show his utility in the red zone. Tight end is one position that I don’t expect to be settled until the end of fall camp. I don’t expect Grimmett to play this season, but it’s not outside the realm of possibility that he manages to carve out a role as a red zone target this season.