BREAKING: Purdue lands Tennessee State LB transfer Sanders Ellis

Purdue football is back active in the transfer portal during the spring window already, landing a commitment from Tennessee State linebacker transfer Sanders Ellis on Monday.

Ellis was on campus over the weekend for a visit, where he took in Purdue's first spring scrimmage, and is now locked in for the Boilermakers days after his trip to West Lafayette. The ex-FCS standout chose Purdue over the likes of Tennessee, Auburn, Virginia Tech and others. Ellis holds a three-star rating as a transfer portal prospect and is the 407th ranked player in the portal, according to Rivals.

The 6-foot-2, 225-pound linebacker was a 2024 recruit for Tennessee State and then head coach Eddie George, who has since left to take over at the helm at Bowling Green. Ellis burst onto the scene in his first year at the collegiate level, racking up 86 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and three fumble recoveries. Those numbers earned him a finalist for the Jerry Rice National FCS Freshman of the Year award, which ultimately went to North Dakota State running back CharMar Brown.

Ellis had a 67.8 defensive grade via Pro Football Focus, as well as a 70.8 run defense mark and 67.2 tackling grade, while playing the second most snaps for the Tennessee State defense in 2024.

Purdue now adds a difference maker to its new-look linebacker room under defensive coordinator Mike Scherer in Ellis. He joins fellow incoming transfer defenders Mani Powell (UNLV), Carson Dean and Alex Sanford Jr. (Arkansas) as additions to the position group, which also features returners Winston Berglund, Owen Davis and Hudson Miller.

The addition also marks the 30th transfer portal commit for the Boilermakers since head coach Barry Odom took over in December. That number includes healthy dose of defenders that will look to improve one of the worst defenses in college football last season, with Ellis potentially stepping into a starting role running the show upon his arrival to West Lafayette this summer.