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We all know it, it doesn't need to be mentioned a bunch here, we have struggled since Coach Hazell arrived. There is nothing to hide this fact. Was it Coach Shoop not being competent? Maybe. Was it Coach Hudson not knowing how to call a defense? Yes. Was it the recruiting classes not being up to par? Possibly.
This upcoming season is a fresh start for Coach Hazell & Co. Sure, everyone will say he is awful he isn't doing this or that, but there is a lot we don't know. Terry Malone WILL be better than Shoop there is no doubt. Ross Els and Marcus Freeman WILL call a better defense than Hudson that is a fact as well.
These are all unknowns, but one thing that is known, in my opinion (which doesn't matter much I know) is that this recruiting class is starting to shape up into a decent one. Sure, you can look at the rankings on 247 Sports and say oh, 13th in the B1G only ahead of IU. If you look at the glass half empty, that is what you will do.
I think we at Hammer & Rails are looking at this class with the glass half full, rather than empty. There is loads of potential with these six recruits we have so far. Are we ever going to recruit with the likes of Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska or Iowa? Probably not, not until we sustain success. But we should be in the mix with IU, Minnesota, Illinois, Maryland and Rutgers, now that is obtainable. This is what we can hope for with this class.
Enough of my rambling though, lets recap who we have gotten verbals from so far.
|
Player |
School/State |
Ranking (247 Sports)/ Other Offers |
What We Like |
|
Nick Sipe |
Villa Park, California |
3*/ Boise State, Colorado State |
Nick is a pro style type quarterback that we love here at Purdue. Standing at 6'4" 195 pounds, Nick can easily add 25 to 30 pounds of muscle. With a strong and accurate arm, we at H&R are excited to get him here in 2017. I expect him to get more offers through his senior year, if he puts numbers up remotely close to his junior year. |
|
Antwuan Branch |
Kenwood, Tennessee |
3*/ East Carolina, Navy, Army, Vanderbilt |
Branch is listed as a running back on 247 Sports, but there are rumors that he may be a defensive recruit for us. He plays a hybrid CB/S in his defense at Kenwood and he is very good on that side of the ball. But, he had 2600 yards and 27 touchdowns last season at running back and that is hard to ignore. I love this commit, he will be very good for us. |
|
Griffin Alstott |
Northside Christian, Florida |
3*/ Akron, Troy |
I love Alstott's versatility, he might not end up at quarterback for us, but he will play somewhere. It will be nice having Mike back on campus regularly to visit and see his son play as well. Griffin will be here next year, the only lingering question is at what position. |
|
Tijuan Mason |
Trezevant, Tennessee |
3*/ N/A |
Tijuan stands at 6'6 215 pounds and plays defensive end, but he is leaded with talent. Trezevant is a power house school in Memphis and he has gone under the radar, quite frankly because he is thin. But with a 6'6 frame, Tijuan could get up to 240-250 range and still be effective. I love the upside here. |
|
Jylton Tusha |
University Christian, Florida |
3*/ Cincinnati, Colorado State, Ohio |
Our newest recruit is a big pick up. Jylton stands at 6'5, 305 pounds and plays tackle for his school. But, Purdue has mentioned playing guard possibly for us. 6'5 was a tackle 8 years ago, now, most are 6'7" to 6'8". Basically Swanigan's size. Jylton has a mean streak, he looks like a bad ass on the field and plays like one, he was a good get by Hazell & CO. |
|
Mitch West |
Montini Catholic |
3*/Illinois State, North Dakota State |
Mitch has gone under the radar, but what attracted our coaching staff was Mitch's 40 being under 4.5 at a camp. They seem to like him as a nickel corner safety hybrid. He is only 5'10, but they say his recovery speed is outstanding. |
| CJ Hayes | South warren, Kentucky | 3*/ Cincinnati, Toledo, Illinois, Iowa State |
This was great news to wake up to on a Thursday morning. CJ is a 6'3" playmaker that should have an outstanding college career. It is a nice verbal before the season starting up, we need to make sure that we hold on to him, as he could help us as a freshman next season. |
There are plenty more offers that Purdue has out there as well. But, I think two prospects are intriguing that should be offered and have ties to Purdue already. Jai Edwards, older brother of Freshman Basketball player, Carsen Edwards. He is a defensive back that brings the hit stick whenever he tackles, take a look at his highlights, here. A 5'11 Safety that runs a 4.43 forty out of JuCo Blinn College in Texas, Jai is ready for the B1G stage.
The other is Adam Sparks, brother of incoming Freshman Quarterback Jared Sparks. Adam is another defensive back, CB/S. He is 6' 175, but he is very athletic, similar to his brother. Take a look at Adam's Junior year, here.
These six commits have made for a solid base to the start of this class. Maybe having a couple of coaches with NFL experience, building a brand new facility for the football team and plans to renovate parts of Ross-Ade will pay off in the end. If we have a successful season, look for this recruiting class to move closer to the middle of the B1G rather than the back four of it.