Things are looking up Boiler fans. We got ourselves a nice shiny 4-star recruit. Ryan Watson is his name and rushing the passer is his game. The man from Olney, Maryland picked us over Pittsburgh.

He had offers from a lot of other schools and is a solid 4-star. He's the 17th ranked defensive end in the nation and at 6'3 and 270 pounds, he's ready to play right away. Our pass rush struggled this season but Ryan Russell had a great bowl game and he and Watson could give us a great push off the edge.

The curse of the 4-star is well-known to us fans. We haven't a player that has truly lived up to the 4-star status in God knows how long. For as goofy as Danny Hope can be during practice and on game day, he is a heck of a recruiter. This will give our class a MAJOR bump. Top 5 in the Big 10 anyone? I'm gonna say so.

I found junior year highlights and I was impressed. First team all state as a junior is not too shabby. He put some VICIOUS hits on the quarterback and running back. He has a nose for the ball. This is a great get for Purdue and a great overall week. Little Caesar Bowl win on Tuesday, win the Big 10 opener on Wednesday and get Watson into the fold on Thursday.

Great end to 2011!

Ryan Watson - 2010 Junior Football Highlights - Good Counsel HS - Maryland (via 1ElmoSuper)

Well, I will say this. Danny Hope sure knows how to bring recruits into the program. Earlier today, ANOTHER high school senior decided to throw his hat in the ring to play for Purdue. James Prince, a three star tackle from Texas, is the 23rd member of the recruiting class of 2012.

Prince comes from Texas power Southlake Carroll High School where he played offensive tackle. At 6'6 and 258 pounds, Prince will have to add some weight before he becomes a viable lineman. I do find him to be almost the perfect height for a left tackle however. I'm not what side Hope wants him to play on and I assume Hope won't know either.

Prince is the fifth offensive lineman to join the class. Say what you want to about Hope, but we have options coming in last year. Prince certainly won't hurt our class rankings and might even bump us up a bit. It's a very solid class with a lot of potential to have starters early in careers.

Let's hope Prince gets his first victory as an official commit tomorrow. For the love of crappy Little Caesar's Pizza everywhere, let's get the first bowl win of Hope's career.

On the day we officially signed one JUCO and lost another one, we added another recruit. Jason King confirmed his commitment to Purdue via his Facebook page. King is a two star recruit from Arkansas and he had a bunch of offers from smaller schools. The best school that we beat for his services would happen to be Louisiana Tech.

He's listed on Rivals as a guard but he played tackle this past year. It never hurts to have offensive line depth, especially with the graduation of some of the key members of our line.

On the JUCO front, we officially signed Greg Latta while losing Steffon Martin. Martin visited Arkansas and decommitted soon after. He also has a visit to Texas A&M scheduled. Latta is a defensive end who should help tremendously.

Let's face it, we need all the defensive linemen we can get. We need another member for the Den of D-Ends. It's almost the only tradition that we have left these days.

Lots of tidbits in one post, but with signing day creeping up on us, expect recruiting news to be fast and furious over the next month or so.

Pulaski Academy RT Jason King Highlights (via pulaskiacademy)

I'm not sure where Riley has been, but he's been slacking in his recruiting posts with the commitment of Kingsley Ike. As a result, he will be placed in a burlap sack and beaten with reeds for his largesse.

All kidding aside, we're in desperate need of a difference-maker at defensive end. Purdue's best defenses have had dominant defensive ends. We've sent a steady stream of them to the NFL from Rosevelt Colvin to Shaun Phillips, Akin Ayodele, Ray Edwards, Anthony Spencer, Cliff Avril, Rob Ninkovich, Mike Neal, and finally Ryan Kerrigan. We've got some solid prospects right now in Ryan Russell and Ryan Isaac. but we need to keep the cabinet well stocked.

Welcome Kingsley Ike, a thee-star defensive end commit from Pflugerville, TX. Ike is a bigger defensive end at 6'4" 220 pounds coming out of high school. Here are highlights from his junior year:

We need a guy like him that can fight through blocks and get into the backfield to cause havoc. Most of our D-ends are speed rushers, but Kerrigan was one of the first to add sheer brute strength that demanded a double team on every down. Ike could be that type of defender by the time he gets into a college weight room.

Ike did not have a ton of major offers. His only other BCS offer came from Iowa State. He also had an offer from Dartmouth, meaning he is a smart kid because not everyone gets an offer from an Ivy League school. We ended up winning him over Rice:

"Before my visit, I didn’t have any interest in Purdue," Ike said. "But that’s what visits are for. Now, I feel really strong about it. I liked the whole environment. The fan support is great, and they have really good facilities."

Welcome aboard, young man!

Enough of this IU talk, let's get back to talking about Purdue football. Another quarterback is coming aboard for 2012 in the form of Bilal Marshall. The 3 star QB from Dade Christian in Florida decommitted from Kansas and switched to Purdue this morning. He apparently doesn't believe in "decided schematic advantages."

Marshall has had a lot of offers and a decent amount of interest. I don't see him playing next year unless he switches to wide receiver, but with Aloyis Gray doing the same thing, I can see a redshirt in Marshall's future. Then again, we could easily go to the 4 quarterback system with Henry, (maybe) Marve, TerBush, and Robinson with Marshall, Gray and Austin Appleby waiting in the wings.

He's a dual threat kind of a guy, which fits into our scheme (I think). Considering it changes on a whim, I'm not sure exactly what we are looking for in qb's these days.

His highlights look good, as he can actually throw on the move. Marshall adds to an already good recruiting class by Purdue standards, so the Danny Hope plan may be starting to bear fruits.

Bilal Marshall QB 2012 (via dcsbb)

I was 500 words deep into my heartwarming 'we shouldn't give up hope' post when the news finally broke. 

We know the feeling all too well. Always the bridesmaid; never the bride.

After a fierce recruiting battle, Gary Harris has decided to take his talents to Michigan State University. To their credit, Tom Izzo recruited Harris the longest and built a very solid relationship that ultimately ended up sealing the deal.

Harris selected MSU over Purdue, Kentucky, and Indiana.

And as much as the decision stings, I hold no ill will towards Gary Harris or his family. They took their time, gathered all the necessary information and made a very informed decision. At the end of the day, all you can ask for is that a prospect gives Purdue an honest and equal look. Beyond that, it's up to the kid and his family to determine what's best for him. And if there is no denying that they made a very, very informed decision.

I understand there will be a grieving process among the Purdue fans and that it will inevitably manifest itself as doom and gloom comments, message board posts, and tweets. But keep in mind Purdue was lucky to do as well as they did in GH's recruitment considering they came so late to the table. Less than a year ago GH seemed like nothing but a pipe dream. However, Matt Painter never gave up and made a pretty big splash in the recruitment process. In my eyes, it was all found money. It was widely reported that it was a 50/50 tossup following his visit to MSU prior to his decision. That's something to be said considering the competition.

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All we are looking for today is five pieces of paper, faxed to the athletic offices. It seems so simple, but in reality it holds the future of our basketball program. Today four young men (maybe five?) will officially join the Purdue family. Today they become Boilermakers.

Rapheal Davis - The 6'5" swingman has been committed forever it seems. He started at Ft. Wayne South, committed originally as a freshman, and now he is a senior a LaLumiere up in LaPorte. he looks like a solid small forward.

Ronnie Johnson - With Lewis Jackson graduating this year we need a point guard. Enter Terone Johnson's little brother. We'll get to see an early battle or two this season between him and Kevin Ferrell.

Jay Simpson - Our future starting power forward at 6'9" 250. Those numbers alone make me salivate having him as a rebounder/enforcer in the paint, especially with the next young man beside him.

A.J. Hammons - Behold, a true center at 7' 260. Size has been a problem for Purdue in the past, but will no longer be with Hammons and Simpson at the 4 and 5 spots.

Welcome to the family, young men. You are now Boilermakers for life.

Of course, we're hoping to add one more name to this list, and that's why this is an Open Thread. Gary Harris, come on down. We'll welcome you to West Lafayette with open arms.

Gary Harris, the #1 rated poker player in the class of 2012, is heading into the home stretch of his recruitment.

If the headline didn't telegraph it enough, I would like to start out confessing that I will bring nothing new to the table in my Gary Harris coverage. If you are hoping for some juicy gossip, I 'd be more than happy to direct you to a variety of stalkers that can tell you what he's having for lunch or what HSE's chemistry teachers overheard about the senior standout.

 I've made a concerted effort to avoid throwing my hat in the ring on this one.

Despite the fact that adding "Gary Harris" to a website is s page-count goldmine, there hasn't been much I can add to the subject beyond what is already being (over) circulated.

I've followed the recruitment of many high-profile recruits and I can say will full confidence that this recruitment has been the most disciplined and process driven of any recruit's I've covered. They've handled their official visits in a vacuum, giving the media nothing but respectful yet vague quotes that are impossible to embellish or slant.

The information dearth as led many self-titled recruiting "gurus" to either fabricate their own ‘sources,' or cite the opinion of a 6th grade AAU coaches disguised under the term the AAU circle. People who know someone close to the family have been catapulted into message board stardom by regurgitating their baseless opinions. The rumors surrounding Harris's recruitment have been so ridiculous, the only conclusion that can be made is that Gary Harris is undoubtedly committing to Purdue, Michigan State, Indiana, and Kentucky.

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