Boilermakings for 6/29

The last Monday in June is generally pretty slow for Purdue news, but there was quite a bit that broke over the weekend.

Football class is now four strong - This is incredibly good news. After being the final Big Ten team to get a high school recruit late last week the recruiting class is now four strong after a busy weekend. Jeremy Cornelius joined Charles Torwudzo on the wide receiver front shortly after Torwudzo's commitment. Cornelius brings some size (6'3") to the position as well as some speed according to his Rivals profile. His overall profile reminds me quite a bit of Chris Daniels, who had a ton of success in our system.

Coach hope wasn't done though. Over the weekend he gained his second in-state recruit as well as a nationally rated tight end. O'Fallon, Illinois' Da'Ron Flood is a three-star prospect at tight end with great size at 6'4" 230. He is ranked 38^th in the nation at his position too, meaning he has some promise at a position that should open up after this season. He was joined by Michigan City, Indiana defensive tackle Ryan Isaac. Isaac is probably a bit undersized at the moment for the Big Ten, but has plenty of time to bulk up. Most linemen, be they offensive or defensive, end up redshirting anyway, so I am not concerned. Isaac also comes from a high school program that is traditionally not very strong. Michigan City has never won a sectional and has had just one winning season since 2000.

Three of these four players chose us over Indiana. That shows we are still ahead of our rivals to the south for getting the middle level recruits. None of these guys are huge stars, but all can be solid role players in our system. I like that receivers and tight ends are showing some interest as well. As I wrote about Torwudzo last week, getting size at the receiver position has never been a priority for us. If Torwudzo or Cornelius were on the current roster they would be the tallest receiver. We don't have single returning receiver over 6'2". Among the 2009 guys not yet on campus, we only have Xavier Reese (6'3") coming in as a taller receiver. That means Torwudzo could make some noise as a true freshman.

Kara Patterson wins again - Recent graduate Kara Patterson won her second straight championship in the javelin at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships over the weekend. The win allows her to participate in the world championships later this summer in Berlin. Last season, Patterson was an Olympian in the javelin, and she is sure to compete for a spot on the 2012 team. In the USA championship she set a collegiate record with a throw of 209 feet, 10 inches.

Lindblom closes in on Majors - Just one year after being drafted former Purdue pitcher Josh Lindblom is now one step from the Big Leagues. The second round pick in last season's Major League Baseball draft was recently promoted to triple-A Albequerque in the Dodgers organization. Lindblom was primarily a closer at Purdue, but has been working as a starter at Chattanooga.

Landon Johnson struggling to find niche with Panthers - Landon struggled a bit last year, but the Carolina Panthers SBNation blog Cat Scratch Reader briefly talked about his chances at starting in 2009.

Lake the Posts publishes Big Ten bloggers' Fearless predictions - and it doesn't look good for Purdue. The consensus is a 10th place finish.