WEST LAFAYETTE — Just when Purdue football thought it was putting the final touches on its 2026 roster, it had to pivot.
Spencer Porath surprised the Boilermakers when he announced Jan. 13 he'll be joining Notre Dame .
Student-athletes seeking transfer opportunities are required to inform their school's compliance office of intent to enter the transfer portal.
"He never entered the portal here," Purdue coach Barry Odom said. "It's amazing how that works."
Porath struggled in 2024 as a freshman, but had a breakthrough sophomore season, setting a Purdue single season record for field goal percentage (88.2%), making 15 of 17 attempts. He was perhaps the biggest retention piece to Purdue's roster moving forward.
Until he wasn't.
'Not publicly supposed to say': What did Purdue football coach think of IU's national title?
It left Purdue in need of a placekicker, which it will fill Feb. 4 when Upper St. Clair (Pennsylvania) high school senior Jacobo Echeverria Lozano is expected to sign with the Boilermakers as their lone late signing period addition, thus finalizing its roster.
Nathan Baird and Sam King have the best Purdue sports coverage, and sign up for IndyStar's Boilermakers newsletter .
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Barry Odom said Spencer Porath didn't enter transfer portal at Purdue

