Purdue Football Recruiting: Breaking Down the Marvin Grant Commitment

Purdue scored another crucial recruiting win today when Marvin Grant, a composite 4* 6’2, 200 pound safety out of Martin Luther King High School in Detroit, Michigan, announced his verbal commitment to Purdue.

Any 4* commitment is obviously huge for Purdue, but Grant’s commitment is particularly significant because it comes at a position of desperate need. Purdue technically only has 2 scholarship safeties on the roster this season, former walk-on Jacob Thieneman (SR) and Navon Mosley (JR). Thieneman is gone after this year, opening up a starting spot in the secondary, and Grant appears to have his eye on early playing time. At 6’2, 200 pounds, Grant may be the most physically mature safety Purdue has signed out of high school since Bernard Pollard, and Purdue is in desperate need of a physical, hard hitting player in the back end of the defense.

The fact that Purdue now has 2 composite 4* players on the defensive side of the ball is also an incredible indication of the entire coaching staffs hard work, and especially shows the talent of Grant’s lead recruiter Coach Derrick Jackson. Grant was thought to be a heavy Kentucky lean until late in the process. Purdue was able to get Grant on campus for a visit, and he apparently liked what he saw.

Purdue is an easy sell on the offensive side of the ball, with Brohm and Co running one of the more exciting and innovative offenses in the country, but Nick Holt is no slouch himself, and his aggressive defense should be a draw for elite players. I was certain that Purdue would do well recruiting offensive players, but I thought the defense would take a little longer to pick up steam....I’m glad I was wrong.

Bringing in two cornerstone pieces like Karlaftis and Grant early will be a huge advantage for the 2019 recruiting class, as good player tend to want to play with other good players. Having talent on board early assures other talented players that they won’t be going it alone, and that it’s O.K. to play for Purdue.

I think Purdue may be building a true bedrock recruiting class in 2019, but will need to keep the momentum on the field going with another make shift roster again this year in order to reap the full rewards of their hard work.