9 Days to Purdue Football: Joe Strickland and CJ Smith

Key pieces to both the offensive and defensive side of the ball are up today in our countdown to kickoff

We are into the single digits of days until the kickoff of the 2024 season for the Purdue Boilermakers and that brings us to players on both side of the ball. Wide Receiver CJ Smith and Defensive Lineman Joe Strickland are looking for big seasons after rough a rough 2023 for both players.

Strickland didn’t see any action last season for the Boilermakers and has only seen time in a single game (LSU-2022). The highly touted defensive lineman out of Indianapolis (Brebeuf Jesuit) hasn’t been able to yet establish himself in the rotation but the outlook may have changed this season. Strickland appears to challenge to get into the rotation as a redshirt sophomore and provide much needed depth and athleticism to the defensive line that may be the weakest positional group for the Boilers.

CJ Smith is another one of the transfers that made their way to West Lafayette from Athens, Georgia. Smith is a bigger bodied receiver at 6’3 and 200 pounds. The former top-125 player in the country in the 2022 class, Smith saw action in 9 games for the Bulldogs last season and caught two passes for 57 yards. Looking for more of a chance, Smith found himself in West Lafayette and has impressed since he stepped onto campus. He will likely be one of the starters at receiver for the Boilermakers this season.

Up Next: Rush End CJ Madden and Wide Receiver De’Nylon Morrisette