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• As we told you here last week, Jaren Jackson is in D.C. currently to visit Georgetown today and Maryland tomorrow, just day-long unofficial visits. After he leaves College Park tomorrow, then he will have taken unofficial visits in the past month to Purdue, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Georgetown and Maryland.
Unofficials are likely to suffice for him.
"Unofficials are kind of more my thing," Jackson said a couple weeks ago when we were up at LaLumiere. "I'm going there to see specific things about schools and make a business decision. I'm not trying to see all the hoopla. I'm not really looking for that."
The list of those who will have gotten visits following this D.C. trip would seem pretty complete in terms of the schools Jackson's most likely to choose from.
Translation: He might be in position to make a decision at any point in time once that Maryland trip is done.
The five-star forward did say recently that there have been days lately where he's felt close to making a decision, but he's wanted to let the process run its course a little more. This has been an accelerated process. There was a time that it seemed very possible this could go into the spring. Now, this might be wrapped up for somebody within a matter of weeks, presumably.
There's not much more we can add to this in terms of the case Purdue has made for itself and the challenge it does have in recruiting him, because it can't paint much of a personnel picture around him at this point.
But it has built up an outstanding relationship with him - which isn't to say others haven't - and would afford him a centerpiece-type of opportunity.
Isaac Haas is an important piece there. Purdue has to figure Haas will be around for his senior year until it's told otherwise and is recruiting accordingly. But no one can say anything for certain. It's important to Jackson to not have to play center, at least early in his career, so Haas matters there for the short term of Jackson's career, from a Purdue projection perspective.
It might have helped, too, for Purdue to have landed a center to this point for 2017, or a Xavier Tillman-type 5 man at least. Hasn't happened, though. But Purdue's going to get somebody. It just doesn't have anyone yet.
Maryland has long been a strong player for Jackson, maybe the leader depending on what you believe, in part due to the family's strong D.C.-area ties. Jackson's mother now works in the New York City for the WNBA Players Association so that represents a modest drift eastward for the family.
(Again, though, if there was going to be a wholesale relocation by the family, there's any number of prep programs Jackson could have enrolled at other than Indiana's LaLumiere.)
Michigan State should not be written off by any means, either. Jackson is a priority target for them, along with LaLumiere teammate Brian Bowen, West Coast big man Brandon McCoy, elite guard Gary Trent and some others.
But Purdue shouldn't be slept on here, in our assessment, at least.
• As you saw in our update today, Nojel Eastern has "no idea" where he goes from here in his recruitment, but the Purdue visit was a very good one for him.
Purdue is really strong with Eastern himself and there are some important pro-Purdue voices in his ear, from what we understand.
Which does raise the obvious question: What's the holdup? Outside of simple due diligence and the reality of, 'Why hurry when there's no hurry?' we don't know, but there are zero red flags around Purdue's standing here.
Purdue is recruiting him to play point guard. He wants to play point guard, and Purdue may be the only school explicitly recruiting him for the position.
When he talked about versatility in our story, it was because Purdue will play him at point guard but could move him around.
As we told you last week, Purdue has presented to him a projection where he'd play alongside Carsen Edwards and cross-match up, meaning Eastern would play the 1 on offense and Edwards the 2, and vice versa on defense. That would allow Eastern to play to his strength on offense and utilize his length and athleticism as a wing defender, something Purdue badly needs, too.
Who else is involved with Eastern? Well, we don't get the sense Michigan State is pushing hard, and we're not sure what would happen if it did. Michigan State would not play Eastern at point guard.
Ohio State is making a push, according to multiple accounts. The Buckeyes offered in the spring, so Purdue has been on Eastern much longer, for whatever that's worth, which might be something, might not be.
The guess here is that Purdue is in great shape and it's just a matter of waiting him out. Always subject to change, but there's no reason to think otherwise right now.
• Michigan State pushed Xavier Tillman's official visit back from this weekend to the 16th. That says something about Michigan State's intent there, assuming it's just not about Labor Day weekend. The more likely angle is that MSU wants to see how things go with some other bigs before bringing Tillman in.
If Michigan State rolls in the tanks on Tillman then we don't have a great idea of where they fit in. Their long-term post outlook isn't exactly loaded, but they did just sign a similar player last year in Nick Ward, probably wouldn't be able to 'promise' as many early minutes as Purdue and wouldn't have the metrics on their side in terms of featuring their big men offensively.
Tillman does have other considerations beyond basketball, but the basketball stuff does make a lot of sense with Purdue, as does the fit. The relationship with Purdue's coaches by now should be strong.
But we know Tillman has really liked Marquette all along, too.
Purdue wanted the first visit on Tillman and got it, but now it's going to have to wait. The three official visitors who came in last weekend all did so with plans, and they're all sticking to those plans it would appear.
A difference with Kyle Young, who committed to Butler after one visit, was that he was clearly warmed up to get this all over with as soon as July ended, so there was some jockeying being done to try to get that first visit. Turned out he didn't take any until the end of the August, but it was clear all along with him that whoever got that first visit was going to have a chance to get it done then and there.
• Terrell Brown visits Pittsburgh starting today. Considering he has three visits left to take afterward and didn't seem to have any idea who else he might visit, you might wonder whether he could decide between Purdue and Pitt in short order. No reason to expect that, but just wondering aloud.
I don't know how hard-sell Purdue was with any of these guys this weekend, but everybody on that board other than Jackson and maybe Eastern are subject to the decisions of others. Purdue has a bunch of frontcourt offers out there and a bunch of visits forthcoming. Point is, scholarships can fill up at any time. That's a tough angle to play when you have at least four scholarships and no commitments, but it's there nonetheless. (BN)
Evan Battey is set to visit Purdue on the weekend of Sept. 23, following visits to Miami and Colorado.If you're wondering, he will not be on campus with classmate Nick Sipe, one of Purdue's quarterback commitments. Sipe is supposed to be in town the weekend prior for the Cincinnati game.
Anyway, Battey might be an important figure in the complexion of this class, because he's so different offensively than Tillman or Theo John, but that sort of rugged body type. Terrell Brown is a skilled big man, but don't know if he's quite as physical as the other three. (BN)
Manley goes to Pickerington Central.
He hasn't been offered at this point, but would join a Purdue center mix that also includes offered targets Jacob Epperson and Chris Sodom, both of whom will officially visit this month.
This coaching staff doesn't do many in-season officials, especially for September FCS games in front of less-than-ideal crowds, so this seems like a situation where they smell blood and want to get the kid committed.
Conner says he wants to take all his visits, but his other offers right now are like Charlotte, Kent State, Old Dominion and some other smaller schools.
One would think there's a good chance he commits and gives Purdue No. 14, but we'll see.
Conner is a safety prospect. Purdue is recruiting him, he says, as kind of a safety/linebacker hybrid.
Purdue commitment C.J. Hayes is visiting this weekend, as might some other commits. (BN)
White said he'll make an official visit to Purdue after the season, but will start off with some unofficials, including this one. He visited in the winter too, if we recall correctly.
White's a running back/safety who Purdue has recruited for defense. Louisville and Cincy will be some players there, too.
Adams visited Purdue last season too. No offer for him yet, but West Virginia has offered and North Carolina has recruited him seriously.
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