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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 BASKETBALL RECRUITING
It's been sort of out-of-sight, out-of-mind here lately with long-time Purdue 2023 target Dravyn Gibbs-Lawhorn, who left Lafayette to attend prep school in Utah and now has been sidelined for months by a foot Injury. He's not played this spring or summer and won't in July.
Nevertheless, recruiting forges on and while him being idled for a whole year has probably affected his recruitment to some extent, everything we have been told on that front with Purdue has been very positive, including belief that his unofficial visit to Purdue earlier this month was the best experience he's had on any recruiting visit.
We've never believed that the sheer draw of remaining in Lafayette would be a big deal for Gibbs-Lawhorn in recruiting, but this has just been a matter of A) Purdue making him a priority before he got hurt and sticking with him and B) just doing a good job recruiting him. Matt Painter goes back a ways with the player's father, Ben, having coached him briefly in college, and new assistant Terry Johnson has long-standing connections to him, also. It was Micah Shrewsberry who originally recruited DGL for Purdue. His son, Braeden, was at AAU teammate with Indiana Elite.
Anyway, there's probably a long way to go here, and Purdue's 2023 scholarship numbers are extremely restrictive but FYI nonetheless. We'll see what happens when the player gets healthy again and all that.
Gibbs-Lawhorn is a high-scoring sort of point guard prospect who'd certainly bring quickness and playmaking ability to a roster that moving forward could use some of both in its backcourt.
Purdue technically right now has one scholarship to offer for 2023, and the likelihood is that Myles Colvin will claim it sooner rather than later. The Indy wing isn't really waiting on anything, per se, but may be inclined to play out at least part of July. Michigan and Notre Dame were apparently among those who watched him this past weekend at games we didn't see. Purdue, Indiana and Butler have offered, and Colvin will give a look to Miami (Ohio) as Rosevelt Colvin and Jack Owens are long-time friends.
But everything points to Purdue here. (BN)
PURDUE FOOTBALL RECRUITING
Now that Purdue has gotten another handful of commitments toward its 2022 class, we think the picture is narrowing, with maybe a few scholarships still left for use early on here.
One priority player Purdue will be awaiting news from is wide receiver Curtis Deville, an apparent priority now at a position where the Boilermakers don't have a commitment yet and yet another Lousianan (right?) being targeted for a class that may wind up including a bunch of them. Deville has not been reachable for us since he officially visited a few weeks ago, but we know Purdue wants him and like a lot of players who made their June official visits, he should be on the clock now for a decision.
Joe Strickland has seemingly backed off his stance that he'd decide right after taking all his June visits, but says he'll still decide before his senior season. Not sure what to expect there, to be honest, as we've gotten conflicting intel, but do know that he has strong pro-Purdue forces within his own household and George Karlaftis and his story is probably the best thing they have going for them there. Mark Hagen's done a good job with him, too. Might just boil down to whether Strickland can say no to a big-time place like Penn State when all is said and done. Don't want to write off Indiana or Stanford at this point, either.
The Louisiana corner visited a few weeks back. We actually forgot to reach out to him, but did this morning. Not sure what his picture looks like but he's been a priority for Purdue and they need a corner still so that's certainly one to watch.
We thought this one would be on board by now, to be honest. Not sure what the delay would be if there's been one. Our strong belief is he essentially has an offer and can commit, and once he took those last visits to App State and Arkansas State that that's what would happen.
We'll see.
• We do think Purdue is done with offensive linemen. D.J. Moore, that's not happening. Probably not the best fit for either side.
• Since Terence Thomas seems as if he'll start off at running back, albeit a versatile type of running back, that gives them two commits at RB, but where he starts out and where he winds up could be two different things, because his name appeared on Purdue's recruiting board on both sides of the ball.
PURDUE BASKETBALL RECRUITING
When is Jalen Washington going to decide? He says he doesn't know yet, but he suggested the Purdue visit helped him along.
"Taking that visit definitely helps speed my recruiting process along a little bit to weigh a couple more pros and cons of these other schools," Washington said. "I'm not completely sure if I'm done with my visits, but it definitely helped."
Draw from that comment what you will.
It would be a little surprising, generally, for a player to make a college decision right on the verge of the July evaluation period, and there are grassroots programs and circuits where players are often encouraged to hold off on announcing anything until after live periods, so that coaches still come to games and see teammates. Whether that would apply to Washington, no idea.
But if July passes, then August hits and with it comes more chances to make visits. Whether Washington would want to visit other schools — he's at least paying lip service to making an Indiana visit — or take repeat visits to other places, that's what he's deciding now. Playing out July would give people like Michigan and Kentucky, and their considerable Swoosh favor, more chances to get involved and maybe get August visits.
But right now, the biggest threat to Purdue is clearly North Carolina, even though it might be modestly surprising if Washington went that far from home. That UNC sent four coaches to Indy to start this past weekend's live period, that probably wasn't a matter of them wanting to check out the new Shake Shack in Fishers. That suggests they feel like they're really in the game there, if not smelling blood altogether. Or they're being led to believe that that sort of commitment was worthwhile.
Purdue has a lot going for it here. Proximity is a big deal, for Washington and his family.
When he talks about his relationship with Purdue's staff, that stuff is real. He and Brandon Brantley go back years now and he's frequently mentioned how often they speak, often initiated by the player.
And though Washington can get a good education anywhere he goes, Krannert has really helped Purdue here, and Washington is not just talking a good game when it comes to school, like many do. You know a kid is serious about academics when he remembers the names of the people he met with during his visit, and when the player seeks out Information on his own, and Washington has checked both those boxes. Back in the fall he took part in a Zoom meeting solely regarding academics, at his request.
Time will tell here, and there have already been some strange disconnects information-wise — namely the unofficial/official visit mixup — but we have to think Purdue will remain a key player here 'til the very end. (BN)
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