Welcome to this week's “BOILING OVER,” GoldandBlack.com’s weekly Ultimate Ticket information-clearinghouse and analysis column meant for our subscribers and our subscribers only.
We appreciate everyone’s cooperation in helping us keep what is sometimes delicate information confined to this message board.
We certainly don’t want it to come to this, but if there are problems, subscriptions have and will be canceled over this.
We know there are a lot of blogs out there and a lot of you are on Twitter and other message boards, and we don’t want to come off like Darth Vader here, but we would be doing all our subscribers a disservice if weren’t proactive about protecting the value of their subscription. Thanks in advance for your cooperation.
Additionally, we address recruiting 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. So again, we appreciate everyone's cooperation very much.
With that in mind, it has been reaching out to to those handling the recruitment of 6-foot-5, 360-pound Jamari Logan of Norfolk.
Interesting deal, because Rivals lists Logan with a bunch of big-time offers, but the kid himself says he's not sure who's actually offered him, because his coaches have been handling his recruiting and he's been kind of staying out of it.
He does know Purdue has been pretty active lately, to the point he's interested in visiting.
"I know I'm going to go up there for a game, maybe on my bye week," Logan said. "I'm not entirely sure about that though.
"That'd be a school I'd definitely take a look at. I'd sit down with my mom and talk about it, get in-depth about them and then try to schedule an (official) visit if they offer. They're showing a lot of interest, and I'd like to talk to some of their coaches. I think I want to go up there and see how it is, because I think that if I go up there, they'll offer me."
Again, Logan isn't sure who's offered him, but knows he's visiting Virginia Tech this weekend (Monday) and Maryland during the season. Tennessee and UNC are among the other programs who've been reported to be interested.
"Most coaches want to look at some of my first few games (before offering), and I've been playing really well. They even put me in the backfield and I've scored twice."
A name worth remembering, seems like, probably not as a goal-line back, though. (BN)
We'll see what happens. This has been a unique sort of deal and we're not sure how interactive Miller has been with anyone about things, including Purdue.
With that in mind, it might be interesting to see if he shows up at any games at Purdue this fall. Last year, he attended at least two games and his family being as pro-Purdue as he makes it sound, one would think that would be a welcomed use of a Saturday for those around him whenever possible.
Some thoughts on Miller …
He is much more the defensive lineman body type than he is the linebacker body type, so this isn't a situation where it's a linebacker building up into a D-end's body or anything like that. Not sure how fast he is, but he does seem to have some effective surge to him and he seems physical. Hard to know because Friday's opponent, North Central, wasn't exactly putting Big Ten offensive linemen over him. Reminder: Miller has been recruited to play the rush end position at Purdue, a role that would put to use his characteristics as both a lineman and linebacker-type.
Here's a quick clip from Friday night of Miller's sack that knocked North Central's QB out of the game. Clearly there was a blocking breakdown here, but it shows some of his burst.
(BN)
Purdue has spent some time at Battle as it's recruited 2016 D-lineman Jerrion Nelson and has put some effort in general into recruiting that portion of that state. (BN)
We expect Painter to come back with Herard's official visit date set, maybe some others for all we know. Edwards has already used his official, but Purdue would like to get dates with Banks and Brown, both of which will be up-hill battles, probably. Brown seems bound for Texas. No idea where Banks might be leaning if anywhere. Purdue does makes a lot of sense, but that doesn't always mean much.
Just throwing this out there, too, as a hypothetical: Does Edwards' flexibility as a combo keep the door open to recruit an additional point guard as well? He'd have to be OK with that if Purdue wanted to do that, one would think. We'd say 95 percent no, but only 95 percent. Purdue's already canceled all its other point guard visits, so it would have to do a 180 (or is it 360?) there. (BN)
On to less important matters, we'd expect Purdue to have a great chance there long-term, but the operative term is long, uh, term, because it's Williams' plan to make his decision next August around the time of his birthday, so there's a long road to travel still for everybody recruiting him. (BN)
(Perhaps you've heard of him.)
On Swanigan's approach: "Biggie is a guy you see in the gym four or five times throughout the day working hard, whether it's in the weight room, on the court, in the training room, getting treatment, whatever. He carries himself like a professional basketball player already being a freshman. That was huge for our guys to see him doing that coming in, with all the hype he had. For him to work as hard as he does, a lot of guys come from high school thinking they don't have to work as hard, that things will get handed to them. Biggie carries himself phenomenally in my eyes. He works hard, carries himself well off the court, cares about Purdue basketball, cares about winning, all he cares about. … He wants to be at the front. You can't lead from the back and he knows that."
On Swanigan's skill set as a 4: "He can stretch (big men) out to the free throw line. He's limber enough to dribble around them and get to the basket. He's big and he's strong, but he can get to the basket. That's a great combination for him to have, especially in the Big Ten, 'cause he's so physical. He can knock down shots, get to the basket, do a lot of different things."
On Davis working on his guard skills in the context of Purdue's changing frontcourt: "I knew that coming in. (Swanigan) is a true 4 man and Vince is a true 3 man. Sometimes you have to get in where you fit in. You have to get better so the next year you don't get passed up." (BN)
* Your long, agonizing wait is over.
Tomorrow, 'Gold and Black LIVE' - our Internet TV show - returns. Join us at 2 p.m. at GoldandBlack.com or WLFI.com for the hour-long show, with our guest, Purdue A.D. Morgan Burke.
We'll also talk about Purdue-Marshall and more.
If you can't make it at 2, a replay will be posted at GoldandBlack.com around dinnertime.
* At 11 a.m. tomorrow, also, join us for our first 'Gold and Black Radio' Purdue tailgate show, including lively discussion on Sunday's game, a feature on quarterback Austin Appleby and an interview with director of sports performance Duane Carlisle.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright, Boilers, Inc. 2015. All Rights Reserved. Reproducing or using editorial or graphical content, in whole or in part, without permission, is strictly prohibited.
