47 Days to Purdue Football: Shayne Henley

Purdue needs more of a pass rush. It was a huge weakness in 2014 and part of the reason Purdue could not get a third down stop to save its life. With Gelen Robinson likely suspended to start the season the immediate help the Boilers got from the  JuCo ranks is even more important.

Shayne Henley - Jr.

Simi Valley, CA (Moorpark Junior College)

6'3", 265 pounds

Defensive End

2015 Projection: Possible starter at defensive end

Henley comes to Purdue with two years of eligibility after being rated as the No. 21 JuCo Defensve End in the country. He was a second team Defensive All-National Northern selection at Moorpark Junior College last season and he prefers to play on the strong side. In high school he was a first-team all-league selection with 50 tackles and 8 sacks. His team (Westlake High) won a state championship when he was a junior and he had seven sacks, so he comes from a winning tradition. His brother also played in Division I at UNLV.

Here is a deeper profile on him:

Henley will have two years of eligibility remaining when he arrives in West Lafayette from Moorpark Community College. A solid body with agility and quickness, the hope is that Henley will be able to come in and immediately contribute at a position desperate for difference makers. Make no mistake, Henley is not being brought in to be a long-term project but as a guy who can be on the field beginning in the season opener at Marshall on Sept. 5.

Henley has a high football IQ who is not going to need coached up as much as a true freshman would at the position. That said, he will need to learn the nuances of the high-FBS game and show he can bring some outside rushing ability to the Boilermakers defense. He certainly has the physical tools to do so.

So yes, we need him to be ready to go this fall.