Could Purdue football's top transfer be one of smallest players? Change-of-pace back impressing

WEST LAFAYETTE — One of Purdue football’s biggest impacts from the transfer portal could end up coming from the smallest package.

The Boilermakers list Travis Terrell Jr. at 5 foot 9, 180 pounds, as Jackson State did before them. The Atlanta native proved at the FCS level those measurements mattered less than his 40-yard dash time and intangible attributes.

At that size, his new teammates assumed he came with next-level speed. Terrell began showing last spring he did not come to the Big Ten to run away from contact.

“You see him in pass pro – he really puts his head in there, no matter who he goes up against,” fellow running back Fame Ijeboi said. “... He’s a hard-nosed runner, and his size does not show how tough he is.”

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Terrell’s talents keep flashing throughout preseason camp. In 11-on-11 exercises, he gets to the edge and turns upfield better than anyone in the backfield. Yet on a couple of occasions he also emerged from the middle of the line of scrimmage, hidden in the crowd before bolting into the second level.

On Monday, he laid out for a full-extension catch off a wheel route out of the backfield. He looks steady and comfortable as a receiver out of the backfield, both on swing passes and more vertical looks.

Ijeboi, a transfer from Minnesota, has the inside track on the opening-day starting job. Terrell has set himself up to be next in line – and not merely as a gimmicky X-factor or in a specialized package.

Coach Barry Odom recently spoke of his emergence as an "every down back.” Rather than a suggestion Terrell would take on a Devon Mockobee-like work load, it was confirmation Purdue believes it can trust Terrell to handle all running back duties within its offense.

“Actually, on video, I thought he was quicker than he was fast,” Purdue running backs coach Cornell Ford said. “He’s kind of surprised me with his speed since he’s gotten here.

“... But the main thing I thought on video was, man, the kid’s a really tough kid. He’s not afraid to go in the middle of the field and mix it up. Most little guys have a tendency to want to bounce, and everything’s outside. Travis will hit you in the ‘A’ gap and run right down the middle of the field and won’t think a second about it.”

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Jackson State began churning out upwardly mobile talent as part of the “Coach Prime” effect. With Deion Sanders as coach, both his son, Shedeur, and future Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter were named the Southwest Athletic Conference freshman of the year.

Terrell joined that lineage in 2024, totaling 1,405 all-purpose yards. While he averaged 6.12 yards per carry, his incendiary performances in kickoff and punt returns led his candidacy for freshman All-American honors.

He followed up with 951 combined rushing and receiving yards as a sophomore. He entered the transfer portal, and Ford immediately recognized his athleticism. When not playing running back and cornerback at Creekside High School, Terrell ran sprints in the spring, while also qualifying for state three times in the long jump.

Ford said he sought to build a diverse room. Terrell’s smaller-yet-speedier identity fits in nicely next to Ijeboi (6-0, 215), Texas transfer Jerrick Gibson (5-10, 205) and returnee Antonio Harris (6-1, 213) − all with more conventional Big Ten backfield builds.

“The bottom line is, we want playmakers at the position,” Ford said. “But any time you can mix up the size – obviously Fame is a big guy, and Travis comes in and he’s quick as a cat – it just changes up the pace of the offense.”

Terrell may also represent something more essential. Purdue typically cannot compete for the top players in the transfer portal at every position. That’s not really an issue of finances. The players recognized as the most elite typically are not looking to aid a rebuild for their final year or two in college.

So the Boilermakers need to hit big on players who might otherwise go overlooked. That often means finding talent at a lower level and elevating those players to impact roles in the Big Ten.

CJ Nunnally IV moved up from a repeat All-MAC career at Akron to lead Purdue in sacks last season, but that’s still FBS football. Also on the defensive line, Josh Burney transferred in from Division II Fort Valley State, but played sparingly in a depth role.

Purdue cannot expect Terrell to become the running back version of Cam Ward, who began at Incarnate Word and ended as the No. 1 overall draft pick, or Jared Verse, who left Albany for stardom at Florida State.

What it does need is dynamic playmakers on offense, and it cannot be picky about where they came from, or what they look like.

“First impression – the dude’s quick,” Harris said of his introduction to Terrell last spring. “Dude can get in and out of cuts like no other.

“Honestly, just a good dude overall. A guy you can kick it with, even outside the facility. And  hard worker, too. Dude works his tail off for sure.”

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Although Purdue has several other options at slot receiver, Terrell could also split out on occasion. He will almost certainly be heavily involved in the return game. He averaged 30.6 yards per kickoff return with two touchdowns as a Jackson State freshman.

Opponents kicked to him far less on punts and kicks in Year 2. The Boilermakers need him to build a similar reputation at his new level.

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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Could Purdue football's top transfer be one of smallest players? Change-of-pace back impressing

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