This isn’t a complete list and it is a somewhat realistic list. I am going to break it down with folks that have offers or could get offers and section it off by State. It is a down year for Indiana as compared to last year. With the rebuild of Louisville and rise of Kentucky, it will be harder to poach there. The list will be a little more accurate after the camps, these are just some of the early wish list folks.
I will start with the State that will make or break Purdue’s class ranking: Michigan.
1) Justin Rogers. I think he wants to play DT, but is currently listed as a Guard. Both are huge needs. If we get him, it’s purely because of the effort of Eron Hodges and Grant/Graham recruiting him. Ohio State is the favorite, but if Day slips up and Purdue over achieves, I would say we have a shot. He is an absolute monster and likely sits as Purdue’s top priority. Winning a top national recruit in the back yard of Michigan who is a top target of OSU as well would be worthy of throwing a parade.
2) Rashawn “Trouble” Williams is one of the best receivers in the nation. 6’1 185 and has ridiculous highlights. He is very similar to Bell. He has shown some Purdue love and Maliq Carr has posted some pro Purdue stuff on his timeline recruiting him as well. They retweeted each other’s Purdue posts a few weeks back.
3) Penny Boone 6’2 225 RB. I know Purdue has looked at him for a while and he has some nice offers. Has a CB pick for Tennessee
4) Maliq Carr. 6’6 WR!! Would be a high priority in his own right, but he could be the tipping piece for Williams/Rogers. I think we have a decent chance with him. Think Purdue should have him as a top priority.
5) Craig Rush 6’4 350+ OG out of Cass Tech Michigan. This dude is a monster. Not rated, but once he starts dominating the camps, he will get raited and start pulling in nice offers.
Illinois:
1) AJ Henning. The number one player out of Illinois. He is an offensive weapon. Could be RB/WR. 5’10 175 and top 100 player. Not sure how many WRs Brohm takes, but he might take 3 if they can fill other needs.
2) Denver Warren. DT 6’1 300. Top 500 player that is going to climb the rankings. Purdue will have to battle all the big boys for this young man.
2) Jadon Thompson. 6’2 160 WR. Has a crystal ball pick for Purdue and has been very pro Purdue on twitter. Also said he would be playing with AJ Henning. So it may be a package deal. If they do want to play as a duo at Purdue, then it may put pressure on Carr and Williams or them to commit early.
Indiana:
1) Cole Brevard - DT our of Carmel. A national level recruit with offers from everybody. Will be a tough sell, but you need guys like him on the DL. Landing top DT talent allows Purdue to keep GK on the outside.
2) Gus Hartwig / Josh Fryer. Both are instate centers. Won’t take both, and either one would be a nice addition. I would say Purdue has to one one of these two guys. Cole may be the priority, but these guys are 1a.
3) Ty Wise, 6’2 OLB. Linebackers are a pretty big need. Another Carmel kid too. Had a decent year last year and should have a nice senior season.
4) Ryan Brandt 6’1 safety out of Angola. Has a crystal ball pick for Purdue.
5) Randy Holtz a big tackle (OT) out of Fort Wayne. Purdue will need OL help. Not currently ranked but somebody to watch.
Edit - 2/17
6) Luke Wigington (OT) out of Bishop Dwenger - Fort Wayne 6’5 275. Picked up a few offers this week, including a Purdue offer.
Kentucky:
1) Vito Tisdale: 6’1 185 safety. Will be a tough pull because the instate programs are all in. But he has had some nice things to say about Purdue. Looks like he wants to pair up with Izaya Cummings who is a Louisville lean.
2) John Young: 6’6 OT. Probably the number one priority out of Kentucky. Has a crystal ball pick for Kentucky. Purdue will need help from Milton Wright, a former teammate.
3) Izaya Cummings: 6’3 WR Louisville lean with a crystal ball pick for Louisville and many pro Louisville tweets.
Ohio:
Purdue May end up prioritizing somebody out of Ohio, but I wouldn’t be able to guess it. Michigan and OSU are battling it out for the vast majority of the top Ohio prospects. Maybe a late bloomer will show up, or this may be a “nobody from Ohio” year.
Edit: I’ll add in Ricky Hyatt here. 6’2 187 CB and ran a 4.46 Forty. Showed out at a best of the Midwest combine and gotten 13 offers since January. Has the size and speed Brohm likes at the CB position.
Some others of interest to me:
Kendal Septs 6’3 330 OG out of Texas. Doesn’t have an offer yet, I don’t think, but was followed by some Purdue coaches. Could see one thrown his way.
Tate Johnson 6’4 300 lb OG out of Georgia. His offer list isn’t up to date as he has been getting some attention from P5 schools. Definitely one to watch.
I will start with the State that will make or break Purdue’s class ranking: Michigan.
1) Justin Rogers. I think he wants to play DT, but is currently listed as a Guard. Both are huge needs. If we get him, it’s purely because of the effort of Eron Hodges and Grant/Graham recruiting him. Ohio State is the favorite, but if Day slips up and Purdue over achieves, I would say we have a shot. He is an absolute monster and likely sits as Purdue’s top priority. Winning a top national recruit in the back yard of Michigan who is a top target of OSU as well would be worthy of throwing a parade.
2) Rashawn “Trouble” Williams is one of the best receivers in the nation. 6’1 185 and has ridiculous highlights. He is very similar to Bell. He has shown some Purdue love and Maliq Carr has posted some pro Purdue stuff on his timeline recruiting him as well. They retweeted each other’s Purdue posts a few weeks back.
3) Penny Boone 6’2 225 RB. I know Purdue has looked at him for a while and he has some nice offers. Has a CB pick for Tennessee
4) Maliq Carr. 6’6 WR!! Would be a high priority in his own right, but he could be the tipping piece for Williams/Rogers. I think we have a decent chance with him. Think Purdue should have him as a top priority.
5) Craig Rush 6’4 350+ OG out of Cass Tech Michigan. This dude is a monster. Not rated, but once he starts dominating the camps, he will get raited and start pulling in nice offers.
Illinois:
1) AJ Henning. The number one player out of Illinois. He is an offensive weapon. Could be RB/WR. 5’10 175 and top 100 player. Not sure how many WRs Brohm takes, but he might take 3 if they can fill other needs.
2) Denver Warren. DT 6’1 300. Top 500 player that is going to climb the rankings. Purdue will have to battle all the big boys for this young man.
2) Jadon Thompson. 6’2 160 WR. Has a crystal ball pick for Purdue and has been very pro Purdue on twitter. Also said he would be playing with AJ Henning. So it may be a package deal. If they do want to play as a duo at Purdue, then it may put pressure on Carr and Williams or them to commit early.
Indiana:
1) Cole Brevard - DT our of Carmel. A national level recruit with offers from everybody. Will be a tough sell, but you need guys like him on the DL. Landing top DT talent allows Purdue to keep GK on the outside.
2) Gus Hartwig / Josh Fryer. Both are instate centers. Won’t take both, and either one would be a nice addition. I would say Purdue has to one one of these two guys. Cole may be the priority, but these guys are 1a.
3) Ty Wise, 6’2 OLB. Linebackers are a pretty big need. Another Carmel kid too. Had a decent year last year and should have a nice senior season.
4) Ryan Brandt 6’1 safety out of Angola. Has a crystal ball pick for Purdue.
5) Randy Holtz a big tackle (OT) out of Fort Wayne. Purdue will need OL help. Not currently ranked but somebody to watch.
Edit - 2/17
6) Luke Wigington (OT) out of Bishop Dwenger - Fort Wayne 6’5 275. Picked up a few offers this week, including a Purdue offer.
Kentucky:
1) Vito Tisdale: 6’1 185 safety. Will be a tough pull because the instate programs are all in. But he has had some nice things to say about Purdue. Looks like he wants to pair up with Izaya Cummings who is a Louisville lean.
2) John Young: 6’6 OT. Probably the number one priority out of Kentucky. Has a crystal ball pick for Kentucky. Purdue will need help from Milton Wright, a former teammate.
3) Izaya Cummings: 6’3 WR Louisville lean with a crystal ball pick for Louisville and many pro Louisville tweets.
Ohio:
Purdue May end up prioritizing somebody out of Ohio, but I wouldn’t be able to guess it. Michigan and OSU are battling it out for the vast majority of the top Ohio prospects. Maybe a late bloomer will show up, or this may be a “nobody from Ohio” year.
Edit: I’ll add in Ricky Hyatt here. 6’2 187 CB and ran a 4.46 Forty. Showed out at a best of the Midwest combine and gotten 13 offers since January. Has the size and speed Brohm likes at the CB position.
Some others of interest to me:
Kendal Septs 6’3 330 OG out of Texas. Doesn’t have an offer yet, I don’t think, but was followed by some Purdue coaches. Could see one thrown his way.
Tate Johnson 6’4 300 lb OG out of Georgia. His offer list isn’t up to date as he has been getting some attention from P5 schools. Definitely one to watch.
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