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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
This week, following Nijel Pack's commitment to Miami, Purdue hosted a pair of high-end guard transfers In Iowa State's Tyrese Hunter and Charlotte's Jahmir Young.
Young subsequently committed to Maryland, but the Boilermakers are still alive on Hunter, part of a list that also Includes Kansas, Gonzaga, Texas, Louisville and Gonzaga.
We know the visit with Hunter went well, but the realities of the current climate in terms of NIL obviously can pose challenges here, as you're obviously aware.
There are names going in the portal still, and some going in, then coming right back out. Craig Porter from Wichita State might have been a player Purdue recruited, but Wichita struck NIL deals to keep him. Oakland's Jalen Moore was a possible portal entry who Purdue might have been interested in, but he's apparently decided to stay at Oakland, not an NIL deal far as we know. Yuri Collins from Saint Louis would have been on the list, but SLU paid to keep him away from Tennessee.
Purdue will wind up with somebody, we're quite certain, but we probably don't know who that player will be quite yet unless Purdue can land Tyrese Hunter against what would seem to be some tough odds.
Eric Hunter is in the portal still and could be called back as well, a possibility that can't be ruled out until he signs elsewhere.
Wish we had more for you than that. (BN)
PURDUE FOOTBALL RECRUITING
• Malik Elzy will be a tough get for Purdue, but the Rivals.com four-star wide receiver from Chicago does say he's Interested, and backed it up by visiting for a junior day.
Elzy spoke highly of new wide receivers coach Garrick McGee In particular and the nature of Purdue's offense as draws.
"Their message is that I can come in and start freshman year," Elzy said at this past weekend's Rivals Camp at Ben Davis, where he earned receiver MVP honors. "That's what I want to do when I get to college."
Elzy said Purdue will be "pretty high" on his list as he sorts through his billion offers and charts his plan from here. Notre Dame and Illinois are probably going to be two major factors in his recruitment.
He's one of several early wide receiver targets for Purdue, some others being Indy's Joe Walker and Ohio's Anthony Brown.
• Purdue's going to have Penn State defensive line transfer Cole Brevard on campus for a visit sometime soon, we think. We're not aware of them having offered the Carmel High School product yet, but they are seriously recruiting him, we think, and he is interested.
The 6-3, 332-pounder — per Penn State's roster — and former four-star recruit would have three years of eligibility left, plus the potential extra COVID year.
We'll see what happens.
• A running back target to watch: Florida's Joe Jackson. He should be on campus in June for an official visit.
• Purdue has also been involved with Minnesota running back transfer Mar'Keise Irving, but we have no idea where they stand with him, and likely no one really does, as he was known in recruiting the first time around for being very difficult to contact.
We doubt Purdue gets him, but as always, you never know.
Purdue's pursued running back transfers all spring, but is not desperately doing so. (BN)
PURDUE BASKETBALL RECRUITING
The April evaluation periods are over, but an important player for Purdue to keep watching this summer will be 2024 Jack Benter from Brownstown.
We haven't seen Benter yet — he rolled his ankle during the first April evaluation period — but will this weekend. We've heard really good things about him and his skill level, the sort of thing Purdue will need to prioritize in that 2024 class.
Our understanding, too, is that Benter is very high on Purdue.
Some video
PURDUE BASKETBALL RECRUITING
This weekend is the annual Bill Hensley Memorial Run 'N Slam in Fort Wayne, and that's where we'll be Friday evening through Sunday afternoon.
Dravyn Gibbs-Lawhorn and Xavier Booker will both be there as will a slew of 2024 and 2025 targets.
If you're interested in going, it's $10 for Friday and Sunday and $20 for the whole day Saturday. Turnstone is now the primary facility.
Here's the schedule.
Teams ...
17U
Indy Heat EYBL — Dravyn Gibbs-Lawhorn
George Hill All-Indy — Xavier Booker
16U
Indiana Elite 2024 — Cooper Koch, Flory Bidunga
Indy Heat EYBL — Trent Sisley, Kanon Catchings, Jalen Haralson
Grand Park Premier UAA — Jack Benter
