Katie Gearlds’ roster now stands at 14 following Wednesday’s announcement that Slovenia’s Zoja Stirn has officially signed.
Are the Boilermakers done?
They still have one unsigned commitment from the summer. Jada Bobozo, a 5-foot-10 guard from France, announced her pledge in June, but it’s been quiet since.
Fall semester classes start Monday, but Bobozo doesn’t need to be on campus on that date. Ideally, that would be the case, but there’s some wiggle room. However, the 14-player roster might be how Purdue plays out the 2026-27 season.
Stirn appears to fill a need at point guard and has experience as a primary ballhandler.
That’s how the 5-foot-10 Stirn is listed on rosters in the Slovenian Women’s Basketball League. During summer workouts, transfers Aysia Proctor (North Texas) and Kyndall Hunter (Houston) have split time at point guard.
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Stirn joined Slovenia’s Senior National Team earlier this year to participate in the EuroBasket Qualifiers.
She’s played for Cinkarna Celje since the 2020-21 season, helping the club team win six straight league titles and three Women’s Adriatic Basketball Association League championships.
In 2025-26, Stirn appeared in 23 games in the SWBL, averaging 10.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists. In 2023-24, Stirn averaged 13.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists.
Gearlds has one spot available since rosters are capped at 15. As of now, the roster features seven international players.
2026-27 ROSTER
Seniors: Taylor Henderson, Kyndall Hunter, McKenna Layden, Aysia Proctor, Saige Stahl
Junior: Hannah Wickstrom, Anjela Minja, Averi Aaron
Sophomores: Jelena Buljac, Avery Gordon
Freshmen: Keona Douwstra, Zoja Stirn, Katka Sediva, Maya Zilbershlag
Israel’s Maya Zilbershlag is scheduled to arrive on campus by the end of the week.
Zilbershlag was recently named MVP of the FIBA U18 EuroBasket event, which Israel won. She also helped Israel to reach the finals in the FIBA U20 EuroBasket championships.
She’s considered a freshman or a first-year player, depending on how Purdue prefers to list athletes in the new 5-for-5 eligibility era.
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What we know so far:
Oct. 24: Exhibition
Nov. 5: Eastern Michigan (isn’t the season opener, by the way).
Nov. 10: Southeast Missouri State
Nov. 15: Samford
Nov. 19 vs. Florida State (Orlando)
Nov. 21 vs. Texas Tech (Orlando)
Dec. 10: Central Michigan
Dec. 13: Eastern Illinois
No confirmed dates yet, but Murray State will visit Mackey Arena and the Boilermakers travel to Dayton.
That leaves three opponents yet to be revealed.
Earlier this week, Purdue announced a partnership with Progressive Insurance for the 2026 football season. According to the press release, Progressive Insurance will have its logo on the field.
From the release: Purdue joins 12 other institutions (Boise State, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas State, Ole Miss, Oregon, SMU, Syracuse, Texas Tech, USC and Wake Forest) in partnering with Progressive, providing premium brand visibility at some of the sport’s most recognizable stadiums.
We’ll have our first Progressive Insurance vs. Progressive Insurance Brand Bowl when Purdue hosts Wake Forest on Sept. 12. Maybe Flo and/or Dr. Rick will conduct the coin toss.
It’s unlikely we’ll know how much Progressive Insurance is paying Purdue to put its logo on the field. The agreement is likely with Learfield and Purdue Sports Properties and not the university. The contract wouldn’t fall under an open records request.
The press release doesn’t mention a jersey patch, which the NCAA now permits to help generate additional revenue. Purdue has yet to announce a jersey patch sponsorship.
Other Big Ten schools have made announcements.
Wisconsin has two jersey patches. UW Health (women’s basketball, volleyball, women’s hockey and softball) and Culver’s (men’s basketball, football and men’s hockey).
Michigan State teams will wear an MSUFCU (MSU Federal Credit Union) patch. Ohio State has signed a deal with Chase Bank for $15-17 million per year, according to media reports.
How much could Purdue earn from a sponsor?
Washington State’s deal with the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation is worth $8.43 million over five years ($1.6 million average). Axie Logistics is paying Tennessee $3 million per year.
VOLLEYBALL: Takeaways from Ball State exhibition
Purdue’s ninth-ranked volleyball team plays its final exhibition on Friday against Butler (6:30 p.m.). Dave Shondell’s son, Kyle, is the head coach at Butler.
The Boilermakers swept Ball State in five sets in their first exhibition last week.
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