Purdue Football – 2026 Countdown to Kickoff – – Hudari Hines and Jerrick Gibson

Position: DB

Height: 6’1″

Weight: 201

Hometown: Indianapolis, IN

Recruiting Class: 2024

Eligibility Remaining: Junior

High School Recruiting Rankings: 3* composite from 247

Hines was part of a secondary in 2025 that was, how do we say this nicely….horrendous. Purdue ranked 109th in the country in passing yards allowed per game, 115th in scoring defense, and 127th in team passing efficiency defense in 2025. Now, could some of that be scheme and not player related? Sure, but Hines was frequently out of position and beat for long plays throughout the season.

Hines is an experienced player with the size you want to see at the cornerback position at the major D1 level. That experience and athleticism has to eventually start to shine through for a player who many felt was a bit underrecruited coming out of high school. Hines appears to be locked in as one of the starting corners this season but under new (sort of ) Defensive Coordinator Kevin Kane who brought in some transfers and freshman corners, Hines could see his playing time yanked from him with capable backups that just weren’t on campus last season.

Hines has made some big plays in his career but those have been overshadowed by allowing big plays. It’s time for the talented junior to take a major step forward as a starter again this season.

Position: RB

Height: 5’10”

Weight: 205

Hometown: Gainesville, FL

Recruiting Class: 2024

Eligibility Remaining: Redshirt Junior (3 years of eligibilty left)

High School Recruiting Rankings: 4* composite from 247 (247 top 80 player in his class)

Gibson is in the mix in what might be the most talented backfield Purdue has had in over a decade. Paired with Fame Ijeboi (transfer from Minnesota) and Purdue mainstay Antonio Harris, Purdue finally seems to have a stable of running backs that will cause some concerns for defensive coordinators. Fame is getting the notoriety with his nomination on the Doak Walker Award Watch List but Gibson was a top-flight recruit for a reason.

The two will likely split carries most of the season but Gibson is as important of a piece to the success of the offense as any other player not named Ryan Browne. If Gibson is having success carrying the ball, it bodes well for Purdue’s overall record this season.