Purdue Football Recruiting: Who Do We Have on Defense?

As I mentioned in the breakdown of our offensive players, and what it means for recruiting, Purdue has scant few scholarships to dole out in the 2016 recruiting class (12-20). The majority of these scholarships (depending on attrition) will probably be utilized on the defensive side of the ball, where Purdue has a few definite needs.

Here is a look at our current numbers on defense, and what it means for recruiting:

Defensive Tackle:

Michael Rouse	Senior	6'4	315
Ryan Watson	Senior	6'2	290
Ra'Zahan Howard	Junior	6'3	310
Jake Replogle	Junior	6'5	275
Johnny Daniels	RS Sophomore	6'3	280
Keiwan Jones	RS Freshman	6'2	280
Eddy Wilson	Freshman	6'4	265
Fred Brown	Freshman	6'2	255

Recruiting Outlook:

In my opinion, this depth chart should have 2 distinct positions. I like defenses that feature 1 run stuffing defensive tackle and 1 penetrating defensive tackle on the field at the same time, and Purdue seems set up for just that sort of rotation. Rouse and Howard are the obvious choices for the run stuffing job, and Watson and Replogle seem best suited for the penetrating tackle job. I don't understand what Purdue is planning to do with it's post Spring depth chart, but starting to undersized defensive tackles in Replogle and Watson is pretty much an invitation to get driven down the field by a power run gain. Once Howard is healthy he will probably take back over a the nose, but I would love to see Watson more involved at the other tackle spot. Purdue will lose Rouse and Watson after this season, and will need to try and find an elusive run stuffing D-Tackle in the 2016 class. The 2015 class featured 2 athletic but undersized, penetrating tackles. Finding another big run stuffer to pair with Howard in the rotation next year will be important. Look for Purdue to take 2 or 3 defensive tackles in the next class, and look for them to be of the bigger variety.

Defensive End:

Langston Newton	Junior	6'3	255
Evan Panfil	Junior	6'5	265
Shayne Henley	Junior	6'4	245
Antoine Miles	RS Sophomore	6'3	255
John Strausser	RS Sophomore	6'2	265
Gelen Robinson	Sophomore	6'1	240
Will Colmery	RS Freshman	6'5	265
Tim Faison	Freshman	6'2	200
Chazmyn Turner	Freshman	6'5	240

Recruiting Outlook:

Much like defensive tackle, I like a defense that features 2 different types of defensive ends. I like a big defensive end to set the edge and I like a fast defensive end to provide the pass rush. This is where Purdue was disappointing last year. We basically had two guys who set the edge, but didn't have anyone to actually rush the quarterback. Ryan Watson lead the team in sacks with 4 sacks, and that is pathetic. I went ahead and added Gelen to the defensive ends, because he is the guy we need to bend the edge and pressure the quarterback. We added a developmental speed rush guy in Tim Faison last year, and I wouldn't be surprised to see use add another speed rusher in this class, even though we don't have any defensive ends leaving (unless they transfer). The late addition of Turner in last years class means we are full up of big defensive ends.

Linebacker:

Andy James Garcia	Junior	6'0	230
Jimmy Herman	Junior	6'4	230
Ja'Whaun Bentley	Sophomore	6'3	260
Danny Ezechukwu	Sophomore	6'2	250
Garrett Hudson	Sophomore	6'2	235
Dezwan Pope-Campbell	Sophomore	6'3	215
Markus Bailey	Freshman	6'1	210
Wyatt Cook	Freshman	6'3	230
Sawyer Dawson	Freshman	6'2	205

Recruiting Outlook:

Purdue went from absolutely abysmal numbers and talent at the linebacker position, to a fairly respectable collection of talent in two seasons. It's obvious that linebacker has been a position of recruiting focus in the 14 and 15 recruiting classes, and it has been a job well done. Purdue would take a top end linebacker in this class if said linebacker wanted to be a Boilermaker, but other than a 4 or 5* guy throwing himself at us, Purdue is pretty full up at linebacker, both in terms of talent, numbers, and youth.

Defensive Back:

Anthony Brown (S)	Senior	5'11	190
Frankie Williams(S/CB)	Senior	5'9	185
Leroy Clark (CB)	Junior	5'10	190
Evan Feichter (S)	Junior	6'0	180
Robert Gregory (S)	Junior	6'2	220
Austin Logan (S)	Junior	6'0	200
Da'Wan Hunte (CB)	Sophomore	5'10	180
Brandon Roberts (CB)	RS Freshman	5'11	175
Tim Cason (CB)	RS Freshman	5'11	190
Andy Chelf (S)	Freshman	6'0	185
Michael Little (CB)	Freshman	6'0	170
David Rose (CB)	Freshman	6'0	170
Evyn Cooper (S)	Freshman	6'2	190

Recruiting Outlook:

The defensive backfield for Purdue has been thin and questionable (at best) in recent years. The Purdue coaches went out and did work in 2015 to try and solve the problem. As it stands right now, Purdue's secondary is up in the air. Ideally, Frankie Williams moves back to corner and Austin Logan and Robert Gregory (both more physically suited for the safety position) stay healthy and hold down the safety positions. In terms of 2016 recruiting, Purdue is off to a good start with Josh Hayes, a top 10 player in Indiana. Hayes will continue the trend of Purdue looking for bigger defensive backs to compete with the influx of giant wide receivers. Purdue will add at least one more defensive back in this class, and I expect it will be another 6'0ish CB.

Overall Outlook:

Much like the offensive side of the ball, Purdue will be looking to make some very specific additions in this recruiting class. Defensive end and linebacker appear to be full (unless there is some attrition) so expect the Purdue coaches to swing for the  fences at those 2 positions. If they land a big name, they'll be happy, if they wiff, no harm done. The recruiting class will look something like this:

Position	# in 2016 class
Defensive Tackle	1-3
Defensive End	0-2
Linebacker	0-2
Defensive Back	1-3