Purdue Football: Boilers add Penn State Transfer CB Marquis Wilson

Coach Walters continues to build the 2023 roster. This morning he added Penn State CB Marquis Wilson to a secondary in need of experienced cornerbacks.

Wilson, a former combined 4* athlete in 2019 from Windsor, CT, originally signed with Penn State out of high school. His career so far has been full of frustration. In all, he appeared in 38 games, both as a cornerback and a short stint as a wide receiver. He collected 55 tackles, 2 sacks and 2 interceptions in those games. Wilson has been stuck behind great corners during Happy Valley, and Purdue is banking on his talent to produce.

How He fits

Purdue needs cornerbacks ready to play, and he’s ready to play corner. Purdue has 5th year senior Jabari Brown and a junior Kansas State transfer Tee Denso (who sat out last season injured) for experienced corners. At 60, Wilson 185 could play any of the three corner spots, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him lined up at the three in Purdues new system. He’s such a quick athlete that in an attempt to get him on the field, Penn State played him at corner and wide receiver in 2021 (it didn’t work).

While I don’t think the Boilermakers guaranteed Wilson playing time, I’m sure they told him that there is playing time in the secondary and he has a good chance to earn it. At his best, he’s a 4* talent who needs consistent playing time to thrive. At worst, he’s a seasoned rotation player who played winning football. Either way, I see no downside for Purdue.

What next

This is a 1-year rental on a scholarship that the coaching staff has earmarked for transfer. It doesn’t change much going forward, other than requiring an available scholarship. How many scholarships are available at Purdue? There is no smell. I’ve asked Delphi’s Oracle and he doesn’t know either, but I’m guessing Purdue can pick up 2 or 3 more transfers and call it a day. They have been looking at defensive linemen in portal and that seems to be the next obvious place to upgrade/add dpeth.