Purdue football starting offensive lineman downgraded to out vs. UCLA

PASADENA, CA — Purdue football’s returning starting left tackle will officially not make his 2026 debut Saturday at UCLA.

Joey Tanona was downgraded to “out” on the Boilermakers’Friday availability report updated. So was defensive end Elo Modozie. Tanona began the week with a “doubtful” designation, while Modozie was listed as “questionable.”

Tanona, a Zionsville grad, played the most snaps of anyone on the offense last season. He missed the back half of preseason camp with what coach Barry Odom described as an ankle sprain. Odom initially was optimistic Tanona would return to practice for the first game week of the season, but he has not yet played a snap.

Nuku Mafi will presumably make his third straight start in Tanona’s place Saturday. Purdue never listed starting left guard Brock Brownfield on the availability report, so he should be in line to start again.

Modozie, a transfer from Georgia, came off the bench to play 17 defensive snaps in the season opener against Indiana State. He played only eight snaps last week against Wake Forest.

Purdue also listed three other players as “out” all week — starting nickel Mister Clark, tight end Kylan Fox and defensive back Raderrion Daniels. The latter two were previously declared out for the season.

Among notable players on UCLA’s availability report are receivers Mikey Matthews (out) and Aiden Mizell (doubtful), tight end Josh Phifer (doubtful) and safety Tao Johnson (out).

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue football starting offensive lineman downgraded to out vs. UCLA