68 Days to Purdue Football: Jimmy Liston

Jimmy Liston

Freshman (RS)

Hinsdale, IL - IMG Academy (Recruiting class of 2021)

6’4” - 310

Offensive Line

2023 Projection: One for the future

Please note: Purdue’s official athletics website has Liston listed (haha) at 6’3” 280 despite having tweeted graphics listing him as 6’4” 310. This will come into play later. Thank you for choosing Hammer And Rails Airlines. I mean Trainlines.

Jimmy Liston is a younger interior OL entering his second year at Purdue with no minutes on the field logged yet, but the former three-star recruit has the makings of a prototypical guard or center if he can continue to add more healthy weight. He’s got a good motor and the height and arm strength to use his leverage while having the flexibility to stay low in pass protection.

Honestly, the fact that he’s put on so much good weight in a college nutrition program since he came out of that football talent factory in Florida is a very good sign, especially with four years of eligibility to get used to carrying that larger frame.

Liston committed to Purdue in August of 2021, referring to the university as his “dream school.” He turned down scholarship offers from Penn State, Texas Tech, Ole Miss, and Arizona State.

After signing his letter of intent the following December, he spent 2022 getting bigger. He was primarily a center in high school, but if another more experienced guy who can snap the ball stays ahead of the youngster down the road, his game translates easily into being a bully of a right or left guard. And as he continues to grow in both skill and size, he’s gonna be a heck of a run blocker one way or another while having good enough footwork and balance to stay agile in pass pro.

As previously mentioned, how quickly he develops is dependent upon how quickly he gets used to his already large build being larger, as is the case with many young offensive lineman. I think he’ll have the opportunity to see the field in cleanup duty a few times this year, I see him being a rotational guard by 2024, and beyond that I really do think this kid has the potential to be a starting center or guard by his redshirt junior year.