What's the deal with the Purdue kicker?
A few days ago I saw an article that we got a former (Purdue) kicker from the portal. I also saw a headline that said something about the kid not actually being in the portal and so he can't transfer? I can't read more than the headline. (I'm old and don't see so good. Once I clicked on some link that almost got $$ from my wife and I so our son [ a computer wiz kid] put a special blocker on our computer. Now it pretty much blocks most links and I don't know how to turn it off.) Anyway, is the kid ours? or is there some hang-up?
Replies to: What's the deal with the Purdue kicker?
Regardless, I'm really glad we have multiple options at K after the last 2 years.
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He s good
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He never entered the portal, instead he unenrolled from Purdue and enrolled here.
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How can he do that, but others have to go in portal? Also, why do this...
instead of just going into the portal?
Is there some advantage other than other teams not getting a crack at him? Isn't that what do not contact label is for?
Apparently unenrolled 1/11, informed coaches 1/13 and enrolled at ND 1/16
He was able to bypass the portal process by WITHDRAWING from Purdue in January and enrolling at Notre Dame, a move that is permissible under certain NCAA rules, although it some cases it would require an athlete to pay a buyout to depart.
Other cases are different because the athlete stays enrolled at the school and therefore has to finish out the semester as a student. For example, DJ McKinney is still a Colorado student (via Online) finishing up the semester but is coming to ND and even living in Indiana. Porath is already a ND student as of last week.
Re: How can he do that, but others have to go in portal? Also, why do this...
Short answer: the portal isn’t an eligibility requirement — it’s a *process* that only applies if you remain enrolled and transfer as a student-athlete.
What he did instead was unenroll from Purdue at the end of the term. Once you’re not enrolled anywhere, you’re no longer a “transfer” under NCAA rules. You’re just a former student applying to a new school. If Notre Dame admits him, enrolls him full-time, and he meets baseline NCAA eligibility (credits, progress toward degree, seasons left), he’s immediately eligible. The portal never comes into play.
Why doesn’t everyone do this?
Because it’s risky. If you unenroll and the new school doesn’t admit you, doesn’t take your credits, or doesn’t line up aid, you can lose a semester or worse. Most players can’t afford that cliff. In this case (Purdue → Notre Dame, kicker), the academic risk is unusually low and the fallback options are plentiful.
Why not just use the portal + “do not contact”?
For high-profile/NIL players, the portal is actually protective. For a low-profile specialist, unenrolling avoids portal windows, paperwork, and transfer-specific rules entirely. It’s not about hiding him from other teams — it’s about not being a transfer at all.
One additional wrinkle: because he didn’t transfer *as a student-athlete*, he didn’t burn the one-time transfer exception. If he ever uses the portal later, that would still count as his first portal transfer — a modest but real procedural advantage compared to players who already used the portal.
This existed before the portal era too (same basic idea as old grad transfers): eligibility follows enrollment status, not the portal. The portal just manages *how* transfers happen; it doesn’t create eligibility.
Everyone doesn't because it’s risky AND you could be deemed ineligible as student/athlete
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We got the Purdue kicker through some legal manner, he has an accurate, noodle-leg.
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Noodle leg?
Noodle?? 5-6 from 45+ long of 53 (would've been good from 58)
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Wait for it!
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Re: Wait for it!
So, is there a problem? or will he be on the team? I haven't been in college in a looonnnngggg time so i don't know the rules
Nah, no problem I thought you were gonna get cooked for the question. Rocket
Answered your question. I learned from the question so thanks for posting.
Now I wanna know since he actually left Purdue and didn’t come to ND via portal does that change his eligibility status?
No, he is currently a ND student as of last week
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No he's a Notre Dame student. He unenrolled from Purdue in Dec
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