Liberty’s search for a quarterback in the transfer portal lands on former Wake Forest and Charlotte quarterback Deshawn Purdie. Purdie threw for 618 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions in 8 games, while making 2 starts, for the Demon Deacons in 2025.
Purdie is a 6’4″, 228 pound athlete from Baltimore, Maryland and Milford Mill Academy. He was a three-star recruit out of high school with over 4,500 yards and 45 touchdowns during his final two seasons at Milford Mill.
In 2024, as a freshman at Charlotte, he appeared in nine games with six starts. He completed 100 of his 200 pass attempts while throwing for 1,802 yards, and 10 touchdowns as a true freshman, also adding a rushing touchdown. He had a 68.6% completion percentage while throwing for 194 yards in his first career start against Gardner-Webb. He had his best game as a 49er at Florida Atlantic, recording a career-high 396 yards and a career-high three touchdown passes against the Owls. He was 4-2 as a starter for the 49ers. Charlotte finished the season at 5-7.
After his true freshman season at Charlotte, Purdie entered the transfer portal. He picked up numerous offers including Florida, Georgia, Mississippi State, North Carolina, and Wake Forest. He originally committed to Florida before switching to Wake Forest.
For the Demon Deacons, he completed 41 of 82 passes. He completed 14 of 29 passes for 270 yards and four touchdowns against Oregon State. In his second start while filling in for Robby Ashford, he was 14 of 26 passing for 183 yards and 2 interceptions against SMU. For his collegiate career, Purdie has completed 50% of his passes, completing 141 of 282 passes for 2,420 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions. He hasn’t been much of a rushing threat, with -141 rushing yards and 1 touchdown on 52 carries.
Arriving in Winston-Salem, Purdie completed with former Auburn and South Carolina quarterback Robby Ashford, before losing the battle for the starting spot prior to the start of the 2025 season.
With Purdie’s addition, Liberty currently has four quarterbacks on the roster. He joins Ethan Vasko and Ethan Houck who return and incoming true freshman Jachin Davis. Vasko started for the Flames this past season, completing 151 of 266 passes (56.8%) for 1,961 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He also rushed 100 times for 258 yards and 5 touchdowns. Vasko underwent surgery following the conclusion of the 2025 season and is expected to be sidelined throughout the spring.
