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.
A couple of Purdue football recruiting notes to start off with …
- You saw our Noah Burks visiting Purdue Tuesday. He has not been offered, as you're aware, while seven other schools have offered one of the top defensive prospects in the state.
We can tell you that if Purdue does turn around and offer Burks now, it will be behind the 8 ball, but not sure it would matter anyway, because word there is that the biggest Big Ten offer that comes in is most likely to get him. The goal there is a Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, etc. We'll see. That he calls Maryland his favorite among those who have already offered strongly hints at there being no real preference to stay in the state or even Midwest.
We know there was some consternation on this board about Purdue not offering, but it bears noting that Purdue has very limited scholarship space for the 2016 class, just signed four linebackers for 2015 at a position where it starts all sophomores and juniors, and just doesn't have a huge need at the position.
That's not to say they won't recruit linebackers. They just offered Hamilton Southeastern's Collin Miller. If Purdue liked Burks more than Miller or saw him as a better fit for what they're looking for in this class, they'd have offered him first. Every coaching staff views every player differently and opinions don't always jibe with offer lists - and if they did, Miller's list is pretty comparable to Burks' - and Internet ratings and rankings.
At a place like Purdue, you do need to act quickly in terms of offering. But it's profoundly more important that you target the right guys and best fits and pick the right battles first.
Time will always tell in recruiting, but these decisions on who to offer and who not to offer and when are not made lightly and without diligence, so we just thought we'd point that out in light of the dialogue going on right now.
Speaking of Miller, he might be a little different from Burks in the sense that the HSE outside linebacker might be a little more of a physical specimen and pass-rusher at this point. He has the look of a player who could conceivably morph into a pass-rushing defensive end in college. D-end is a huge need for Purdue and perhaps that flexibility went into that offer decision, too. And when you look at the emphasis put on physicality lately, Miller might fit that mold better than a lot of other prospects.
We have not been able to reach Miller since his offer came in, but talked to him a few weeks ago at the Best of the Midwest Combine in Indy. He will take a long, hard look at Purdue, and as of now, we'd expect the Boilermakers to be right up there with Illinois and Indiana in terms of the schools he likes. He visited a bunch of times during the season.
Here is a video interview we did with Miller at BOMW. It's just him talking about himself as a player, not recruiting.
- Same deal at running back as linebacker: Purdue has limited scholarships and just signed a bunch of them. But they'll take one in this class, we're guessing.
In that context, Georgia's Kameron Pickett seems like a real candidate for an offer, and if he gets one, maybe even if a quick commitment possibility, though that might just kick-start his recruitment as much as it would end it.
Purdue seems to like Pickett a lot and the spring-enrollment angle might have real value for the Boilermaker staff, in light of their limited numbers in this class. On paper right now - and this will obviously change - Purdue is only looking at having around a dozen scholarships (one of which will have to go to a kicker) and that's with them still having some fish on the line for 2015.
At running back, speed would seem like a priority now after Purdue signed three physical types in 2015.
- Miller and Fort Wayne wide receiver Ben Skowronek were the two in-state targets to visit Saturday for junior day, and of the two, we'd expect the Boilermakers to have a better chance at Miller.
But a guy to absolutely keep an eye on is Columbus' Drew Schoeberl, who does not have an offer but has been watched pretty seriously by Purdue for a very long time.
Schoeberl has Big Ten tight end size right now or at least close to it and in the game we saw of his this past season, he looked like a fluid athlete and OK enough receiver for that size. He might, though, be viewed by some as a very athletic offensive tackle prospect.
Purdue should have some positive vibes in Columbus, too, after signing Markell Jones, FWIW.
- Confirmed now: Purdue did have Missouri defensive end James Jennette on campus Saturday for a junior day visit. We do not have a phone number for him, so we don't have much info.
We think Jennette might have a Purdue offer, but we're not sure entirely. Regardless, he's a guy who seems like a target.
- Not sure any of the other junior day visitors we're aware of will become prime targets but Missouri's Hayden Johnson, at least on paper, would seem very interesting, him being a pretty athletic and versatile defensive end prospect.
Not sure how involved Purdue really was in advance of his visit, so we'll see if they pick things up with him a little more now that he's been on campus.
- The next junior day is March 28. In-state lineman Ben Knutson is among those scheduled. He has an offer and it's not outside the realm of possibility he'd commit early, but we wouldn't call it likely, either. (BN)
There was some discussion here about the adverse effect playing winless Grambling might have had on Purdue's NCAA Tournament résumé, some suggestion the Boilermakers' RPI would be way higher if not for that game.
That game does adversely impact Purdue's RPI because it bogs down the strength of schedule component.
Jerry Palm crunched it for us and Purdue's RPI would be No. 50 without that game, he said. Right now it is 58, so yeah, that's significant. (BN)
You have seen it by now, but according to Fort Wayne's Eric Vaughn, who is associated with Caleb Swanigan's camp, the big man is down to seven (or, rather, six plus a token mention): California, Michigan State, Duke, Arizona, Kentucky, Purdue and Chicago State.
There are no surprises here, though we figured Notre Dame might get a mention if a list-cutting was ever announced. It did not. Louisville didn't make the cut, either.
We still think Purdue is a very viable player here, but Duke and Michigan State are very much favorites as well. Not sure what to make of Kentucky, the one school you never rule out on any recruit ever. Swanigan and his team are afraid of no one depth chart-wise, but John Calipari has had to get out in front of the platoon thing with Swanigan, assuring him it was a one-time thing and wouldn't affect his potential minutes if he went to UK.
Swanigan wants big minutes immediately and there is enough savvy on his part to understand that sometimes a team can have too many players and that might work against Kentucky on some level. Only speculating there, but safely speculating.
Duke can sell the "immediate replacement for Jahlil Okafor" angle and as well as the simple fact it's Duke. Michigan State can do much the same and point to Zach Randolph and Draymond Green as their templates for Swanigan.
Purdue, obviously, has a recent history of featuring its big men and giving its 4 men a lot of freedom to do other things. And for a player who'd prefer to not play (and guard) the 5, Isaac Haas' presence is a real plus.
Purdue may not be the "sexiest" (for lack of a better term) school on Swanigan's list, but Matt Painter does have a long history of recruiting players associated with Swanigan's guardian/adopted father Rosevelt Barnes and in that time has been nothing but honest, by every account, and fulfilled every promise he's made. Purdue hopes in the long run that pays off with Swanigan. (BN)
Join us tomorrow at 1 p.m. (not the usual 2) for 'Gold and Black LIVE,' our live (obviously) show.
You won't want to miss this one right before Purdue plays either Iowa or Penn State at the Big Ten Tournament, as Boilermaker legend Rick Mount will be among our guests.
Showtime, again, is at 1. A replay will be posted in the evening if you miss the show live.
Copyright, Boilers, Inc. 2015. All Rights Reserved. Reproducing or using editorial or graphical content, in whole or in part, without permission, is strictly prohibited. E-mail GoldandBlack.com/Boilers, Inc.
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https://purdue.rivals.com/content.asp?SID=892&CID=818514
This post was edited on 3/12 2:42 PM by Brian_GoldandBlack.com
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.
- You saw our Noah Burks visiting Purdue Tuesday. He has not been offered, as you're aware, while seven other schools have offered one of the top defensive prospects in the state.
We can tell you that if Purdue does turn around and offer Burks now, it will be behind the 8 ball, but not sure it would matter anyway, because word there is that the biggest Big Ten offer that comes in is most likely to get him. The goal there is a Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, etc. We'll see. That he calls Maryland his favorite among those who have already offered strongly hints at there being no real preference to stay in the state or even Midwest.
We know there was some consternation on this board about Purdue not offering, but it bears noting that Purdue has very limited scholarship space for the 2016 class, just signed four linebackers for 2015 at a position where it starts all sophomores and juniors, and just doesn't have a huge need at the position.
That's not to say they won't recruit linebackers. They just offered Hamilton Southeastern's Collin Miller. If Purdue liked Burks more than Miller or saw him as a better fit for what they're looking for in this class, they'd have offered him first. Every coaching staff views every player differently and opinions don't always jibe with offer lists - and if they did, Miller's list is pretty comparable to Burks' - and Internet ratings and rankings.
At a place like Purdue, you do need to act quickly in terms of offering. But it's profoundly more important that you target the right guys and best fits and pick the right battles first.
Time will always tell in recruiting, but these decisions on who to offer and who not to offer and when are not made lightly and without diligence, so we just thought we'd point that out in light of the dialogue going on right now.
Speaking of Miller, he might be a little different from Burks in the sense that the HSE outside linebacker might be a little more of a physical specimen and pass-rusher at this point. He has the look of a player who could conceivably morph into a pass-rushing defensive end in college. D-end is a huge need for Purdue and perhaps that flexibility went into that offer decision, too. And when you look at the emphasis put on physicality lately, Miller might fit that mold better than a lot of other prospects.
We have not been able to reach Miller since his offer came in, but talked to him a few weeks ago at the Best of the Midwest Combine in Indy. He will take a long, hard look at Purdue, and as of now, we'd expect the Boilermakers to be right up there with Illinois and Indiana in terms of the schools he likes. He visited a bunch of times during the season.
Here is a video interview we did with Miller at BOMW. It's just him talking about himself as a player, not recruiting.
- Same deal at running back as linebacker: Purdue has limited scholarships and just signed a bunch of them. But they'll take one in this class, we're guessing.
In that context, Georgia's Kameron Pickett seems like a real candidate for an offer, and if he gets one, maybe even if a quick commitment possibility, though that might just kick-start his recruitment as much as it would end it.
Purdue seems to like Pickett a lot and the spring-enrollment angle might have real value for the Boilermaker staff, in light of their limited numbers in this class. On paper right now - and this will obviously change - Purdue is only looking at having around a dozen scholarships (one of which will have to go to a kicker) and that's with them still having some fish on the line for 2015.
At running back, speed would seem like a priority now after Purdue signed three physical types in 2015.
- Miller and Fort Wayne wide receiver Ben Skowronek were the two in-state targets to visit Saturday for junior day, and of the two, we'd expect the Boilermakers to have a better chance at Miller.
But a guy to absolutely keep an eye on is Columbus' Drew Schoeberl, who does not have an offer but has been watched pretty seriously by Purdue for a very long time.
Schoeberl has Big Ten tight end size right now or at least close to it and in the game we saw of his this past season, he looked like a fluid athlete and OK enough receiver for that size. He might, though, be viewed by some as a very athletic offensive tackle prospect.
Purdue should have some positive vibes in Columbus, too, after signing Markell Jones, FWIW.
- Confirmed now: Purdue did have Missouri defensive end James Jennette on campus Saturday for a junior day visit. We do not have a phone number for him, so we don't have much info.
We think Jennette might have a Purdue offer, but we're not sure entirely. Regardless, he's a guy who seems like a target.
- Not sure any of the other junior day visitors we're aware of will become prime targets but Missouri's Hayden Johnson, at least on paper, would seem very interesting, him being a pretty athletic and versatile defensive end prospect.
Not sure how involved Purdue really was in advance of his visit, so we'll see if they pick things up with him a little more now that he's been on campus.
- The next junior day is March 28. In-state lineman Ben Knutson is among those scheduled. He has an offer and it's not outside the realm of possibility he'd commit early, but we wouldn't call it likely, either. (BN)
That game does adversely impact Purdue's RPI because it bogs down the strength of schedule component.
Jerry Palm crunched it for us and Purdue's RPI would be No. 50 without that game, he said. Right now it is 58, so yeah, that's significant. (BN)
There are no surprises here, though we figured Notre Dame might get a mention if a list-cutting was ever announced. It did not. Louisville didn't make the cut, either.
We still think Purdue is a very viable player here, but Duke and Michigan State are very much favorites as well. Not sure what to make of Kentucky, the one school you never rule out on any recruit ever. Swanigan and his team are afraid of no one depth chart-wise, but John Calipari has had to get out in front of the platoon thing with Swanigan, assuring him it was a one-time thing and wouldn't affect his potential minutes if he went to UK.
Swanigan wants big minutes immediately and there is enough savvy on his part to understand that sometimes a team can have too many players and that might work against Kentucky on some level. Only speculating there, but safely speculating.
Duke can sell the "immediate replacement for Jahlil Okafor" angle and as well as the simple fact it's Duke. Michigan State can do much the same and point to Zach Randolph and Draymond Green as their templates for Swanigan.
Purdue, obviously, has a recent history of featuring its big men and giving its 4 men a lot of freedom to do other things. And for a player who'd prefer to not play (and guard) the 5, Isaac Haas' presence is a real plus.
Purdue may not be the "sexiest" (for lack of a better term) school on Swanigan's list, but Matt Painter does have a long history of recruiting players associated with Swanigan's guardian/adopted father Rosevelt Barnes and in that time has been nothing but honest, by every account, and fulfilled every promise he's made. Purdue hopes in the long run that pays off with Swanigan. (BN)
You won't want to miss this one right before Purdue plays either Iowa or Penn State at the Big Ten Tournament, as Boilermaker legend Rick Mount will be among our guests.
Showtime, again, is at 1. A replay will be posted in the evening if you miss the show live.
Copyright, Boilers, Inc. 2015. All Rights Reserved. Reproducing or using editorial or graphical content, in whole or in part, without permission, is strictly prohibited. E-mail GoldandBlack.com/Boilers, Inc.
https://purdue.rivals.com/content.asp?SID=892&CID=818514
This post was edited on 3/12 2:42 PM by Brian_GoldandBlack.com
