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PURDUE FOOTBALL RECRUITING
Purdue may be on the verge of something significant here.
Baton Rouge's Jah'von Grigsby may be the Boilermakers' No. 1 target right now at safety, and they've put themselves in a great position. They are No. 1 for him.
Meanwhile, crosstown corner Tyrell Raby has become a priority also.
(Yes, you might say Purdue has spent a great call of time Calling Baton Rouge.)
The two of them want to play together, and if Purdue can close down Grigsby, Raby is likely to follow.
It is a real possibility and it would be a significant deal. These are two highly recruited dudes who Purdue would get in one fell swoop should this occur. Most of the time, package-deal talk falls through. This one may be legit.
Grigsby would give Purdue what might — might — be its lone 2021 safety. Not sure it needs big numbers at that spot with Cam Allen, Sanoussi Kane, Marvin Grant, Antonio Stevens, etc., in the program long-term, assuming Jalen Graham does morph into more of a linebacker.
Raby would be part of a larger class of corners. We figure at least three, with Brandon Calloway already on the board. Daylan Carnell would remain a priority, we'd think.
Something to keep an eye on here.
PURDUE FOOTBALL RECRUITING
There may not be a lot of suspense regarding Purdue's next 2021 commitment.
The Belleville, Mich., wide receiver announces Wednesday. He's down to Purdue, Indiana, Boston College, Iowa State, Kentucky and Cincinnati.
The Boilermakers have long been No. 1, and we have no reason to think that has changed.
He would join Preston Terrell as Purdue's wide receiver commitments and represent another blow struck by the Boilermaker staff in Michigan, where its players in the program now (or incoming) seem to really be helping it.
PURDUE FOOTBALL RECRUITING
Quick rundown of a couple other potential front-burner types ...
Sales told us this he's "thinking about it," In relation to Zach Richards trying to get him to commit to Purdue. So you never know.
Again, Purdue has every advantage here and if June visits are closed down, Karlaftis may not get to make the tour of trips he's hoped to take. Advantage: Boilermakers.
Note: It Is conceivable that under these unique circumstances this year, August could become early-official month. Remains to be seen.
Again, what happens with June? Purdue's put itself in a great spot with McCulley, having convinced of him of his chance to be an early impact player, and being close to home. We'd have to think Purdue is ahead here, and a pre-season decision is the plan.
Should the Grigsby/Raby package materialize, perhaps that starts a domino effect in NOLA. Peterson is starting to get high-major offers, but Purdue's been there longer.
Iowa and Minnesota are players here, too, but Irving is a priority for Purdue and the Boilermakers will be a factor here.
Lastly: A thought on all this. Again, if summer visits resume in some form, the 2021 cycle Is relatively back on track. Where this may matter just as much is 2022 and beyond. One can only assume there will be no camps in June. Camps are huge for underclassman offers. The spring is often significant for underclassman visits. The void of this spring and summer will set all of that back, but again, that's a problem for everyone.
PURDUE BASKETBALL
Purdue is adding a second Invited walk-on with a pretty familiar name.
Cuonzo Martin's son, Chase Martin, will join the Boilermakers as a walk-on next season, GoldandBlack.com has learned. The son of the former Purdue star and assistant coach and current Missouri coach is a 6-2 guard who played at Father Tolton in Columbia, Mo. He's an aspiring engineering student. His older brother, Joshua, is also a student at Purdue.
He joins Lafayette Central Catholic's Carson Barrett — son of Dave Barrett — as Purdue's two new walk-ons next season. Football player Maliq Carr plans to join the team midseason, too. Interestingly, Carr's father, Cornell Mann, is an assistant coach to Chase Martin's father at Mizzou. Small world. (BN)
PURDUE BASKETBALL
We'll have some coverage next week on all that's going on — or not going on — with Purdue basketball, but here's a couple little snippets we've gleaned off a couple player -interviews ...
• Purdue's players are keeping connected via weekly Zoom calls that'll increase in frequency this summer. After tabbing "leadership" as an element Purdue might have lacked last season, Isaiah Thompson was asked who the loudest voice I the Zoom Room has been this spring. "Nojel," he said.
Eric Hunter, meanwhile, said that he and Sasha Stefanovic are trying to take those roles, too.
Purdue's staff has also orchestrated guest speakers. Robbie Hummel and E'Twaun Moore have been two of them.
• Players are in regular contact with coaches, in part to keep on top of their schoolwork. Sports performance coach Gavin Roberts and director of sports nutrition Lauren Link are providing weekly plans to the players.
Haven't spoken to every player, obviously, but seems like most have access to some sort of gym or hoop or whatever, the biggest advantage being enjoyed by Isaiah Thompson, whose father is a trainer, so he has access to both a trainer and gyms, on top of literally living with one of his coaches.
Trevion Williams is back on Purdue's campus. Organized team activities remain shut down. What that means for a player's ability to shoot around or lift, we can't say for certain.
• It remains to be seen whether the freshmen will arrive on campus in June. They can start being part of online team meetings, though, next week, we believe. (BN)
PURDUE BASKETBALL RECRUITING
Harrison Ingram announces a top-10 list on Monday. Purdue will obviously be on that list, as it's clearly one of the top schools on his mind at the moment, though a decision may still be months away. (BN)
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