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In short, not good.
Purdue currently has 10 commitments for 2016. This is after getting two this week. It is rated 92nd nationally and dead last in the 14 team Big Ten by a WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDE margin according to Rivals. Things can get better this weekend as 4-star offensive tackle Sean Foster is coming for an official visit along with nine others, but so far it doesn't look good. Even if we land Foster it won't be a huge improvement.
According to my math Purdue currently has five scholarships open. Here is the latest scholarship chart:
Player |
('16-'17) |
('17-'18) |
('18-'19) |
('19-'20) |
Andy Garcia |
Senior (5) |
|||
Austin Appleby |
Senior (5) |
|||
Bilal Marshall |
Senior (5) |
|||
Cameron Cermin |
Senior (5) |
|||
Cameron Posey |
Senior (5) |
|||
J.J. Prince |
Senior (5) |
|||
Jason King |
Senior (5) |
|||
Jimmy Herman |
Senior (5) |
|||
Joey Warburg |
Senior (5) |
|||
Jonathan Curry |
Senior (5) |
|||
Jordan Roos |
Senior (5) |
|||
Langston Newton |
Senior (5) |
|||
Robert Gregory |
Senior (5) |
|||
Austin Logan |
Senior |
|||
Dan Moteroso |
Senior |
|||
DeAngelo Yancey |
Senior |
|||
Domonique Young |
Senior |
|||
Evan Panfil |
Senior |
|||
Jake Replogle |
Senior |
|||
Leroy Clark |
Senior |
|||
Ra'Zahn Howard |
Senior |
|||
Shayne Henley |
Senior |
|||
Da'Wan Hunte |
Junior (RS) |
Senior (5) |
||
Antoine Miles |
Junior (RS) |
Senior (5) |
||
Danny Ezechukwu |
Junior (RS) |
Senior (5) |
||
David Yancey |
Junior (RS) |
Senior (5) |
||
Dezwan Polk |
Junior (RS) |
Senior (5) |
||
John Strauser |
Junior (RS) |
Senior (5) |
||
Johnny Daniels |
Junior (RS) |
Senior (5) |
||
Keith Byars II |
Junior (RS) |
Senior (5) |
||
Keyante Green |
Junior (RS) |
Senior (5) |
||
Matt Burke |
Junior (RS) |
Senior (5) |
||
Myles Norwood |
Junior (RS) |
Senior (5) |
||
Anthony Mahoungou |
Junior |
Senior |
||
Dexter Knox |
Junior |
Senior |
||
Gelen Robinson |
Junior |
Senior |
||
Gregory Phillips |
Junior |
Senior |
||
Ja'Whaun Bentley |
Junior |
Senior |
||
Trae Hart |
Junior |
Senior |
||
Christopher Parker |
Junior |
Senior |
||
Bearooz Yacoobi |
Sophomore (RS) |
Junior (RS) |
Senior (5) |
|
Brandon Roberts |
Sophomore (RS) |
Junior (RS) |
Senior (5) |
|
Cole Herdman |
Sophomore (RS) |
Junior (RS) |
Senior (5) |
|
David Blough |
Sophomore (RS) |
Junior (RS) |
Senior (5) |
|
Keiwan Jones |
Sophomore (RS) |
Junior (RS) |
Senior (5) |
|
Kirk Barron |
Sophomore (RS) |
Junior (RS) |
Senior (5) |
|
Martesse Patterson |
Sophomore (RS) |
Junior (RS) |
Senior (5) |
|
Tim Cason |
Sophomore (RS) |
Junior (RS) |
Senior (5) |
|
Will Colmery |
Sophomore (RS) |
Junior (RS) |
Senior (5) |
|
Ben Makowksi |
Sophomore |
Junior |
Senior |
|
David Rose |
Sophomore |
Junior |
Senior |
|
Eddy Wilson |
Sophomore |
Junior |
Senior |
|
Joe Schopper |
Sophomore |
Junior |
Senior |
|
Markell Jones |
Sophomore |
Junior |
Senior |
|
Markus Bailey |
Sophomore |
Junior |
Senior |
|
Tario Fuller |
Freshman (RS) |
Sophomore (RS) |
Junior (RS) |
Senior (5) |
Andy Chelf |
Freshman (RS) |
Sophomore (RS) |
Junior (RS) |
Senior (5) |
Brycen Hopkins |
Freshman (RS) |
Sophomore (RS) |
Junior (RS) |
Senior (5) |
Chazmyn Turner |
Freshman (RS) |
Sophomore (RS) |
Junior (RS) |
Senior (5) |
Elijah Sindelar |
Freshman (RS) |
Sophomore (RS) |
Junior (RS) |
Senior (5) |
Evyn Cooper |
Freshman (RS) |
Sophomore (RS) |
Junior (RS) |
Senior (5) |
Fred Brown |
Freshman (RS) |
Sophomore (RS) |
Junior (RS) |
Senior (5) |
Jess Trussell |
Freshman (RS) |
Sophomore (RS) |
Junior (RS) |
Senior (5) |
Matt McCann |
Freshman (RS) |
Sophomore (RS) |
Junior (RS) |
Senior (5) |
Michael Little |
Freshman (RS) |
Sophomore (RS) |
Junior (RS) |
Senior (5) |
Michael Mendez |
Freshman (RS) |
Sophomore (RS) |
Junior (RS) |
Senior (5) |
Peyton Truitt |
Freshman (RS) |
Sophomore (RS) |
Junior (RS) |
Senior (5) |
Richard Worship |
Freshman (RS) |
Sophomore (RS) |
Junior (RS) |
Senior (5) |
Sawyer Dawson |
Freshman (RS) |
Sophomore (RS) |
Junior (RS) |
Senior (5) |
Tim Faison |
Freshman (RS) |
Sophomore (RS) |
Junior (RS) |
Senior (5) |
Wyatt Cook |
Freshman (RS) |
Sophomore (RS) |
Junior (RS) |
Senior (5) |
Brandon Shuman |
Freshman |
Sophomore |
Junior |
Senior |
Dylan Powell |
Freshman |
Sophomore |
Junior |
Senior |
Josh Hayes |
Freshman |
Sophomore |
Junior |
Senior |
Alex Criddle |
Freshman |
Sophomore |
Junior |
Senior |
Luke Campbell |
Freshman |
Sophomore |
Junior |
Senior |
Benaiah Franklin |
Freshman |
Sophomore |
Junior |
Senior |
Navon Mosley |
Freshman |
Sophomore |
Junior |
Senior |
Anthony Watts |
Freshman |
Sophomore |
Junior |
Senior |
Jack Wegher |
Freshman |
Sophomore |
Junior |
Senior |
Total Scholarships Left |
5 |
27 |
45 |
61 |
Total Scholarships Used |
80 |
58 |
40 |
24 |
Now, to dive a little deeper:
- Purdue lost only four offensive starters, three defensive starters, and a kicker. That's good at least from a returning experience standpoint. It is bad in that many multi-year starters return from a team that is 6-30 over the last three years.
- There are a handful of Danny Hope recruits left. Basically, anyone listed as a 5th Year senior, so Hazell can't use the "Hope's recruits" excuse anymore.
- Players like Logan, Newton, Warburg, and Curry are basically scholarship deadweight in that they are nowhere near the two deep going into the spring.
- Purdue has 15 players coming out of their redshirt year. This is compared to just nine at this time last year. Of those nine, only two (Patterson and Blough) played extensively. The boilers are going to need more from the 15 coming out. A lot more.
- I would be absolutely shocked if Keyante Green stays. He has spent three years here as a 4-star recruit and in two of them he did not play a down. Markell Jones and D.J. Knox are ahead of him, as is, apparently, David Yancey. If he doesn't transfer I will be stunned.
- So far only Christopher Parker, the lone JuCo commit, looks like an instant impact player. Purdue has a lot of linemen in this class and those guys generally take a year or two to develop. There are a couple of DBs, but Purdue has several coming out of redshirt anyway.
- Right now Purdue does not have a scholarship kicker, and coach Hazell made it very clear we both need one and no one on the roster could replace Griggs midseason last year. The official roster lists Brian Bravo, Tyler Duncan and Myles Homan, but they are all walk-ons that never got the chance to replace Griggs. Of course, if the offense gets much worse we may not need a kicker since we can't get close enough anyway.
The thing is, I think Purdue has some talent at almost every position. It has players that can play and ones that are better, overall, than Hope left, but the coaching was so awful this past season that it showed every week. Not only did you have the Shoopfense, but you had two of the Big Ten's best corners playing far off the receivers and a defensive scheme that rarely made adjustments.
Basically, Purdue is going to roll it back with new coordinators and hope players that have been beaten up for 2-3 years will suddenly break out. I am not encouraged. It is going to take something drastic to avoid a repeat of 2015. Sure, Purdue will win its opener against Eastern Kentucky because even Hazell can beat FCS teams, but beyond that? We can't even count on a MAC win over Ohio, not when Hazell is 1-3 against that conference. Cincinnati is a challenging non-conference opponent, then you get tot he same Big Ten that has kicked us around for three years to the tune of 2-22.
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