A key contributor from Barry Odom's defense this season has set his sights on Purdue, as linebacker Mani Powell has signed with the Boilermakers out of the transfer portal.

Powell was a productive linebacker for the Rebels last season, his first and only year with the program, tallying 59 total tackles, including nine tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks from his middle linebacker post. He held a 71.0 run defense grade via Pro Football Focus and had 18 quarterback pressures to his name, but had a 45.6 tackling grade, with a 23.3% miss percentage.

Powell was a class of 2022 recruit at Arkansas, where he committed to now Purdue defensive coordinator Mike Scherer and Sam Pittman. Out of high school, he held offers from the likes of Michigan, West Virginia, Ole Miss, Kentucky, Syracuse, Indiana, Boston College and others. He transferred from Fayetteville to Las Vegas following the 2023 season and now follows Scherer and Barry Odom from Las Vegas to West Lafayette this off-season.

Purdue now has a veteran linebacker entering the mix heading into next season, as Powell joins the likes of Hudson Miller, Winston Berglund, Owen Davis, Carson Dean and Alex Sanford as linebackers with college experience. Incoming freshmen Sam Steward and Parker Meese will also enter the mix at the position.

The Boilermakers also continue their run of transfer portal additions as Powell becomes the 13th commitment of the cycle, along with Dean and Sanford, Malachi Singleton, EJ Colson, Tahj Ra-El, Christian Moore, Christian Earls, Hank Purvis, Jalen St. John, Tony Grimes, and Mason Vicari. The latter six in that group also follow Barry Odom to Purdue following his departure from UNLV.