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Adding permanent lights at Ross-Ade Stadium won't happen for 2015, but it's likely coming at some point as part of the "football master plan."
"I know we’re going to get more night games. We know that because of the discussions with the networks," Burke said.
"They’ve made it very clear they’re not going to pay. For the longest time, ABC and ESPN were willing to pay. OK, so we should build that into the design. But if worse came to worst and somebody came to me, they know that if I had an opportunity for a night game early in the season, I’d pay for the lights. They know that. It’s not a barrier." (SC)
"I'm full-go everything," Hill said Thursday, during the Entrance Interview that'll run on our site sometime soon. "I've been lifting and everything. I don't have any limitations."
That's good news for Purdue, obviously, because it will want as close to a full crop of players participating in off-season workouts as possible.
Vince Edwards and Caleb Swanigan will be out through the start of July if they both make the USA Basketball 19-and-under World Championships team. Isaac Haas will try out for a USA Basketball team next month, also, and that will pill him away from campus for some time. Presumed redshirt freshman Jacquil Taylor may be a question mark as he tries to get healthy, too. Maybe he's ready to go now. Don't know.
Freshman Grant Weatherford also moved to West Lafayette well in advance of next week's start of summer school. Ryan Cline moves on Sunday and Swanigan shows up whenever USA Basketball is done with him, the first week of July provided he makes the team. (BN)
Maybe.
In the spring, it seemed as if Purdue didn't feel like it needed more than four scholarship quarterbacks on the roster and its stance on taking one in this next recruiting class was based on all of them returning.
Now that Etling isn't, does Purdue turn to a player like Austin McCrum, who it's maintained consistent interest in even without an intent to sign a quarterback? We'll see.
Purdue is left with junior Austin Appleby, redshirt freshman David Blough and true freshman Elijah Sindelar as scholarship QBs. (BN)
• Jordan Humphrey in Ohio: He does not even have a Rivals profile yet, but he's supposed to be an interesting prospect from the Columbus area. Givler will have a story to come on him, as he camped at Purdue already and thinks an offer could come this summer, an offer that might give the Boilermakers a great chance at him.
• Trishton Jackson: The West Bloomfield, Mich., athlete has Purdue at or near the top of his list right now and seems like a guy Purdue really wants. He's supposed to visit this month at some point, at which time … maybe he commits. Some folks who cover recruiting in Michigan, though, think that he could be Michigan/Michigan State if he camps well in front of the right people and they think he has that potential.
Pitt just offered Jackson. That would probably be former Purdue assistant Kevin Sherman recruiting that school again.
• Jacob Robertson: The three-star prospect from Georgia is determined to visit Purdue this summer, he said, which can't possibly be anything but a sign of real interest, right?
Now that cornerback and center are dealt with in recruiting, wide receiver is one of the biggest needs, it would seem. Purdue needs to get better and younger at that position after signing only a pair of JUCOs last class. (BN)
Jefferson is a 6-5 wing man who's athletic, can shoot it, can score in a lot of ways and just plays with a pretty high energy level.
But grades have been a big issue for him, an issue he says he thinks is headed in the right direction. Wouldn't expect him to say otherwise, though.
New Mexico and Ball State have gone far enough as to have offered him regardless and Purdue's one of a bunch of high-major programs who'd probably be all in on him if not for the academic worries.
If Jefferson has to go to prep school or junior college, we'd think he would be a real target for Purdue in 2017 or 2018. He's certainly talented enough. (BN)
The former Michigan offensive coordinator has been helpful for current Purdue OC John Shoop, both men said, and it's been a budding friendship.
"I’m lucky to have a guy who’s been a play-caller. When I’m stuck, he’s a right-on-time guy (with), 'Here’s an idea, here’s a thought,'" Shoop said this week.
Malone has liked the way the entire group has bounced ideas off each other and worked to mold the offense.
"It’s a group effort, and yet John steers us in the right direction. Ideas come in a lot of different ways, you might get ideas watching yourself in practice or others in games, so having another set of eyes to see things and share what I see, that’s all part of it," Malone said Wednesday. "Believe me, these guys are really good football coaches, and I’m just glad to be part of the gang."
Malone doesn't have much experience running more of an up-tempo, no-huddle offense, though, he said, but he's eager to see that be fine-tuned more in training camp and then utilized in the fall.
Malone joked he's going to have to increase his tempo to follow along, saying there were practices this spring in which he was looking for the huddle and there not only wasn't one, but the play already had been called, and he missed it.
"I see it as a real weapon, to be able to neutralize and even the playing field against some of these defenses and really having the ability to change up what you do," Malone said. "Not just go up-tempo all the time, not just go huddle all the time, but to be able to do both and disguise both. You really put the defense on its heels." (SC)
Center target Joey Brunk and point guard target Xavier Simpson are among those in the field for the annual event. Because of it, Brunk will miss team camp at Purdue and it'll take another bite out of a June schedule he might have otherwise squeezed a weekend official visit to. That doesn't mean he couldn't make a mid-week visit, but Brunk himself said he is probably done with official visits until fall, or fall-ish. That might be subject to change and Brunk has not been one to publicize his visit plans so you never know.
Simpson is not going to visit until August now, his father, Quincey, said but he shouldn't have any conflicts for Purdue's June 26 team camp session Lima Senior is scheduled to play in.
"Basically it was similar to what Dellavedova did in Game 2. When he gets it, you try to pressure him, try to make him attack the rim and make him take contested shots. If you allow him open shots or let him get to the free throw line, it just takes a little bit for a guy like that to get going. We didn't help off the ball and if those other guys beat you, you're OK with it. You just didn't want to get beat by Steph Curry getting hot and making seven threes in the second half or something like that.
"We didn't help off him and we tried to pressure him full-court and wear him down. You have to make him play defense, too. That has helped the Cavs too. They put him in pick-and-roll situations (defensively) in the second half. When you put guys in a lot of situations they're not used to, that's when more mistakes happen." (BN)
Instead of exhibition games, colleges are permitted to instead conduct closed, unpublicized scrimmages against peer programs, which is what Purdue will do this year at some point, against someone, somewhere. We'll try to find out who in coming weeks and months.
Why now for this?
Well, from a practicality standpoint, you can obviously make a case that competition against an equal-level program can be more beneficial than an exhibition against an overwhelmed opponent, but at Purdue, two exhibitions have normally been needed to fill the season ticket package.
The magic number for that is 19 games and because of the way the rest of the schedule came together, with the Vandy game being a return contest and the Hall of Fame event providing two home games, only one exhibition was needed to get to that number.
Not sure what Matt Painter's philosophy would be on this if not for the scheduling restrictions, but obviously it was something the program sees value in or else it might not have jumped at the chance to do it once the schedule allowed for it. (BN)
The 6-foot, 186-pound cornerback - the Purdue commitment will play at Hamilton Township in Columbus next season, his third high school in as many years - was an offensive and defensive starter for Tony Love’s Tomcats. And he played on special teams.
“You’re going to get a great effort out of him,” Love said. “He’s going to continue to grow. Playing in the Big Ten is huge. Really wish him the best.”
Long was the Boilermakers’ second commitment in the defensive backfield – a third, Brandon Shuman joined only hours later Tuesday – a position of critical need. Cornerback in particular; Purdue has only three returnees on scholarship, two of whom will graduate, at the position right now, with three freshmen joining this summer.
But Love thinks that position could be the one that suits Long best at the next level. Long has good size and speed, having run a 4.4-second 40 at the Best of the Midwest Combine in Indianapolis in the winter.
“He has great speed, vertical, his size,” Love said. “He’s a strong kid, really grew a lot in the off-season with us.
“His character and measurables are eye-popping.”
Tuesday, the three-star Rivals.com prospect chose the Boilermakers over West Virginia, Virginia, Toledo, Ohio, Ball State and other offers.
Despite having been at Blazer only a little more than a year, after having transferred from Ironton, Long settled in to the program well, Love said. He split time in the backfield with fellow rising senior Quinton Baker, giving the Tomcats one of the best backfields in the area, perhaps the state.
Love says Long frequently put in extra time, getting in early to run or staying extra late to lift.
“He’s a high-character kid and understands the value of hard work,” Love said. “He’s an all-around student-athlete, won’t have any problems in the classroom that I know of. He’s one of those kids that understands the value of hard work.” (KC)
The Nashville native had surgery on the right thumb in early May after he tore the radial collateral ligament back in November.
“It’s doing pretty well right now,” he said earlier this week. “But I hope I don’t injure it any more when I get up there and start working out. We’ll see how that goes. I’m looking forward to playing and showing what I can do.”
Hopkins was hurt the week before the state championship in late November, when he had his thumb bent sharply backwards by a teammate while the two made a tackle during practice. He played that weekend, but saw his Ensworth High School team get upset, losing its first state title game after winning in four straight seasons.
“I played but had it wrapped up with a few layers of tape over my glove,” Hopkins said. “I basically played without my right thumb, was using my fist, punching, things like that.”
Hopkins, who will visit a doctor again in a few weeks for a checkup, says he should be good for 7-on-7 and lifing this summer, although any sort of blocking would have to wait until training camp.
“Everything is going well right now,” he said. “It feels good. I’ve taken good care of it.” (KC)
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