Two members of last year’s portal class finally make their debut after season ending injuries.
Salim Turner-Muhammad
Senior
Alexandria, VA, Episcopal High School
Former School: Stanford University
Defensive Back
6’0”, 200
2024 Projection: Depth in Secondary / Star
One of the last holdouts from the longest-lived recruiting class in college football history (2019), Purdue desperately needed the former 4* defensive back and Stanford transfer last season. That didn’t happen after a preseason leg injury derailed his season before it made it off the tracks.
I wasn’t sure if Turner-Muhammad would return this season, but I’m glad he did. He’s getting his MBA in Finance from Purdue, and I’m sure that played into his thinking. After graduating from Stanford with a degree in economics, tacking on a free MBA from Purdue sets you pretty well for life after football.
In the meantime, Purdue gets an experienced hand and veteran voice in the secondary. He’s played in 22 games, including 6 starts and is a physical presence at the cornerback position at 6’0”, 200-pounds. In fact, tackling might be his best attribute as a defensive back, making him a prime candidate to play close to the line at the slot-corner or “star” position.
Look for him on the field in 2024, and the board room in 2025.
Jahmal Edrine
Junior
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida (Fort Lauderdale High School)
Former School: Florida Atlantic
Wide Receiver
6’3”, 215
2024 Projection: #1 Wide Receiver
Last season, Edrine was primed to be the leading receiver in Purdue’s “air raid” attack after a solid fall camp, but a bad step on the practice field ended the former Florida Atlantic breakout season before it got started.
Jahmal possesses the physical skill set Purdue was missing at wide receiver last season. As a redshirt freshman at FAU, Edrine started 9 games, pulled down 39 receptions for 570 yards and found the endzone 6 times. He cracked the 100-yard mark twice in his first year of college football, pulling down 9 receptions for 105 yards and 2 touchdowns against Ohio and grabbing another 6 passes for 109 yards and a touchdown against Middle Tennessee.
Edrine is once again poised to make his debut as Purdue’s alpha receiver. He’s built like an NFL receiver already and will be a handful for any defensive back both in pass coverage and on the perimeter as a blocker (an often-overlooked skill for a receiver). The window Hudson Card has to deliver a downfield pass tripled in size from last season with the Jahmal back in the fold. Don’t believe me? Check out the picture I used for this article.
If you’re looking for the #7 on the field, the first place I’d check is the opponent’s endzone. He’ll spend a good bit of time there this season.