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Welcome to this week's “BOILING OVER,” GoldandBlack.com’s weekly information-clearinghouse and analysis column meant for our site members and site members only. We appreciate everyone’s cooperation in helping us keep what is sometimes delicate or proprietary information confined to this message board. This feature allows us to be more flexible in our reporting, to our readers' benefit, and we lose that ability if we can't keep this feature secure and the value of our site's membership at its peak. Additionally, we address recruiting and hiring processes in-depth and often without filter in this feature and we do it behind a subscription-protected barrier for a reason, in hopes of avoiding situations where our reporting can impact the recruiting process, which can happen occasionally.
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PURDUE FOOTBALL
On Purdue's football staff, undergoing changes once again, and again, probably considerable changes.
D-coordinator Brad Lambert is gone after one season, leaving Jeff Brohm with an opening at that spot again.
Way too early to know who Brohm might even talk to in that regard, but it is definitely worth noting that assistant coach Ron English has ample play-calling experience in his career from stops at Michigan and Louisville and other places and play-calling opportunities have been his wish at Purdue. English does go back a ways with the Brohms, so there would be an element of him being a known commodity and there could be a continuity value with such a move.
Mark Hagen holds a co-coordinator title, as is, and could be a possibility, too, either as a play-caller or part of a more collaborative set-up in that regard. Hagen does not have play-calling experience prior to Purdue.
If Brohm were to go outside the existing staff for a play-caller, there's no telling what direction he might go. The few names bandied about last year would seem off the table. English was one of them, though. Mike Elston at Notre Dame wouldn't seem likely, and Western Kentucky's Clayton White moved on to South Carolina.
It would make a lot of sense to promote from within and then hire position coaches to round out the staff.
David Elson, currently a quality control staffer, is a veteran defensive coach with coordinator experience at Ball State and other schools and a plenty of qualifications to coach, say, linebackers at Purdue should Brohm want to go that way. Elson was the head coach at Western Kentucky some years ago.
The question, though, is how many spots Brohm is going to have to fill.
There has been heavy speculation, from national college football types included, that cornerbacks coach James Adams could accompany Lambert to Wake Forest. Not sure there's an opening there right now, though. But when these college football writers who are talking to coaches and agents every day report someone's probably going somewhere, they typically do.
The possibility is very real, too, there will be changes on the offensive staff, as JaMarcus Shephard is a known candidate for Marcus Freeman at Notre Dame. Shephard has looked before, and almost went to Florida State a few years back when Willie Taggart was there. A move to ND would be considered a step up for him, but also keep him in his comfort zone in Indiana, around his native Fort Wayne.
Notre Dame has pursued other wide receivers coaches, too, but people in South Bend say that the Shephard possibility seems increasingly likely right now.
Notre Dame also talked to Purdue special teams coach Marty Biagi before hiring former Purdue staffer Brian Mason away from Cincinnati. Biagi is young and deeply connected in the South, and will probably draw continued interest in years to come if not this year still.
Nothing has happened that we're aware of to this point for Brian Brohm, but there is reason to believe he has looked for opportunities to expand his horizons some and take on more responsibility someplace else. He is not just along for the ride with his brothers in that sense.
Right now, Purdue only has one opening, but that number could grow here in the next few weeks. (staff)
PURDUE FOOTBALL RECRUITING
Purdue's back in the running back market on the transfer wire following Christopher Brooks' decommitment and all signs right now are pointing to Minnesota's Ky Thomas being their guy. We'll see if it happens soon or what but the clock is ticking with the second semester starting next week.
Thomas rushed for a team-high 824 yards and six touchdowns for Minnesota this season. He ran for nearly 150 yards in the Gophers' bowl win over West Virginia.
He was a redshirt freshman this season, so he'd have at least three years of eligibility remaining.
He did not play in Minnesota's win at Purdue this season.
Thomas is the next key decision coming for Purdue, but he's undoubtedly going to have a lot of other people after him, too, so we'll see what happens. (staff)
PURDUE FOOTBALL
The following transfers are enrolled in school and presumably will be on campus for the start of classes next week: Wide receivers Tyrone Tracy and Elijah Canion, offensive lineman Sione Finau, defensive end Scottie Humpich and defensive backs Bryce Hampton and Tee Denson.
Freshmen Brady Allen, Joe Strickland, Mo Omonode, Zion Steptoe and JP Deeter are all enrolled, too. (staff)
PURDUE BASKETBALL RECRUITING
One visitor who was at Purdue Monday night: Lathan Sommerville, a 6-foot-9 Class of 2024 post from Peoria. Sommerville already holds high-major offers from Wake Forest and Rutgers.
Many moons ago, Gene Keady's staff recruited his dad, Marcellus, who was a good player at Bradley.
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