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PURDUE FOOTBALL RECRUITING
So, you know that Purdue already has blue-chipper Brady Allen committed from Indiana's 2022 class and will bend over backwards to get wide receiver Omar Cooper and D-lineman Joe Strickland also.
But the other of Purdue's high-priority targets for that class — at least at this point — we think will be Landen Livingston, from Leo High School near Fort Wayne.
It's kind of early to know where exactly Purdue's going to stand with Livingston at this point, and the off-season being a wash in terms of visits and such clouds things even further on all these guys.
"I talk to Coach Williams almost every single week, and Coach Hodges, and they send me some pretty cool edits," Livingston said. "They just talk to me about what they're trying to get, that they're going after some of the best people in the 2022 class in Indiana right now and they want all of them to go to Purdue. What I've heard from Coach Williams is they like me as either a guard or center."
Again, not much there in terms of where Purdue stands or anything like as Livingston's maintaining an open stance on everyone recruiting him, and there are a lot. Michigan State, Indiana, West Virginia and the ubiquitous Arizona State are among those who've already offered, and Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Northwestern and a veritable cast of thousands are very interested.
Livingston doesn't have a bead on where this school or that school may stand, because his plan to make game-day visits every weekend this season are off. As an underclassman, he's only visited a couple of MAC schools for games.
Livingston is 6-5, 270 and coaches really like his athleticism. Purdue and others have specifically mentioned his ability to pull.
He's gonna be a Purdue priority and Purdue's current commits may know It, because after Mooresville won at Leo a couple weeks back, Jaelin Alstott-VandeVanter and Zach Richards took it upon themselves to track him down after the game to take a picture.
Anyway, you'll be hearing more about this guy the next few months. (BN)
PURDUE FOOTBALL RECRUITING
You've probably seen Rivals.com's story today about Alabama running back Jaylin White being on the verge of an Oct. 10 commitment and being down to Purdue, Florida and Florida State.
This is not one of the running backs we were aware of Purdue being involved with since Bryon Threats decommitted. Markeise Irving tops that list even if Sam Jackson is doing the bulk of the "recruiting" there. Texas' Camron Valdez is another and Florida's Keyshawn Spencer another.
From what we understand, the two Florida schools will be difficult to unseat here, and that's the direction he's likely headed, but I can't say with certainty he's both would absolutely take him at this stage. You never know, but seems unlikely both would pass on him.
Purdue does need a running back for this class, obviously, and the one guy we've always thought to be the most reasonable possibility has been Irving, simply because of Jackson's presence.
Likely, too, Purdue could use this fall to find somebody else. It probably does need to fill the position this year just from a balance perspective, but It does have a couple good young ones in the program now. (BN)
PURDUE BASKETBALL RECRUITING
Nothing new on a timeframe for a decision from Trey Kaufman, Purdue's last remaining 2021 target, best we can tell, but November is approaching, so a decision within the next few weeks would seem possible.
We do think Purdue's in very good shape here, but some things do have to fall in place after the complexion of all this sort of evolved in the past year, whereas Caleb Furst and Kaufman were once an either-or deal for Purdue, now that Kaufman has developed Into more of a wing-capable player, now the picture has changed some, and If Purdue Is gonna happen, everyone Involved will need to be on the same page about it, the prospect of Furst playing the 4 and 5 and Kaufman playing some 4 and some 3. No real reason to believe there are land mines there, but If this comes to the point where Kaufman decides he wants to come to Purdue, then there may be some measure of process involved.
For Kaufman it is effectively down to Purdue, Indiana, Virginia and North Carolina. Not sure how those teams would rank by preference (after Purdue, we believe), but we do think that if it's not Purdue, it will be Indiana. Virginia and UNC just are too far to go to without having spent time with the coaches and taking meaningful visits to those places. (BN)
PURDUE BASKETBALL RECRUITING
Purdue's going to be watching local Dravyn Gibbs-Lawhorn closely for the next few years but It and the many schools that will also come after DGL may not have much to see for a while.
Gibbs-Lawhorn has been plagued since the summer by a foot problem and may require surgery that would cost him some of his sophomore season at McCutcheon. (BN)
PURDUE RECRUITING
Stay tuned this weekend for coverage from both the Midwest Circuit basketball event In Noblesville, and then football commit Brady Allen's game at Brownsburg, back to back on Saturday.
The basketball deal Is just a camp for 2022, 2023 and so on players and will have some Purdue prospects and targets Including Lawrent Rice (offered 2023 guard), C.J. Gunn, Sean Jones and others.
