Cole Brevard, a former four-star recruit who committed to Penn State in 2020 and entered the transfer portal last month after two underwhelming seasons, is staying in the Big Ten and returning closer to home by joining the Purdue Boilermakers.
IND-I’m coming home! I'm beyond blessed & incredibly proud to join @purduefootball #BoilerUp 🚂 pic.twitter.com/YFEJXwTt2I
— Cole Brevard (@cole_brevard) May 16, 2022
Brevard, who played his high school football at Carmel High School in Carmel, Indiana— just a little more than an hour away from West Lafayette— announced via Twitter Monday morning that he has committed to Purdue.
Brevard came to Penn State with high expectations. He was the fifth highest-rated signee of Penn State 2020 class according to 247Sports, behind current Lions Curtis Jacobs, Theo Johnson and Caziah Holmes as well as former Penn State player Enzo Jennings.
He was the top-ranked player in Indiana from his class and the No. 19 defensive tackle overall, and chose Penn State over Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin, as well as Purdue. Brevard also has offers from schools such as Clemson, Iowa, Notre Dame and Ohio State.
Despite coming in with promise, Brevard never became a fixture on Penn State’s defensive line. Over two seasons, Brevard only appeared in one game for Penn State— the team’s Senior Day win over Rutgers this past season.
With PJ Mustipher returning from injury, Dvon Ellies and Coziah Izzard coming back and four-star freshman Zane Durant expected to contribute as a freshman, it didn’t seem likely that Brevard would breakthrough in 2022, either. He entered the portal two days after appearing in the 2022 Blue-White game.
Penn State opens the season against Purdue Sept. 1, and it’s unclear what Brevard’s role in Purdue’s defense will be. In any case, acquiring a former blue chip is a good thing for Purdue coach Jeff Brohm.
