Sorry I did not get a chance to touch on this yesterday, but our football Boilers gained their fourth commitment for 2013 and second in two days with versatile defensive player John Stauser. As has been true with most recent recruits, Strauser is a three-star commitment, continuing the program's growth in that area. Say what you will about coach Hope, but recruiting has improved from mostly 2-stars in 2008 to now almost all three-stars and a few four-stars. That will pay off, eventually.
Strauser is a 6'4", 245 pound defensive player that we literally stole out from under Illinois' nose. He hails from Jay Simpson's home town of Champaign, and he projects as either a linebacker or defensive end at the next level. Given that we are adding some 3-4 elements to the defense, that versatility can be important.
His uncle is Paul Chryst, who, if you'll remember, was once rumored to be Joe Tiller's replacement. Chryst is now head coach at Pittsburgh, so that is an important get away from him as well. Last season Strauser had 146 tackles in ten games for private school St. Thomas More. He definitely fits the Purdue mentality:
"I’m a lunch pail kind of kid. You punch in, punch out and put your work in," Strauser said. "The game deserves respect and you owe it respect. If you don’t work at it, it won’t reward you."
He also describes himself as a football player. To me, he sounds a little like Ryan Kerrigan. You can't go wrong with trying to emulate a guy like that.