Welcome to the May 5th, 2023 rendition of the "Weekly Upload". We are proud to be sponsored by Reindeer Shuttle, locally owned and operated by Purdue graduates. Driving to the airport sucks let Reindeer Shuttle do the driving for you! With convenient pickup locations across Lafayette and on campus, Reindeer Shuttle will get you to the Airport safely and on time.
The State of the Football Roster
This feels like it is a never-ending job watching the Transfer Portal. I have updated the scholarship grid and the state of the roster post three or four times this week alone.
Purdue has solidified some of the weaknesses on the roster that became a problem with the last staff, they did this while having an eye on the new schemes they are implementing. The new staff has brought in bigger wide receivers that will be physical mismatches on the outside. Jahmal Edrine has multiple years left of eligibility and Corey Gammage just has one.
Coach Walters and Coach Kane seem to have a particular type of cornerback they want and apparently what they need. In their heavy man and cover 1 scheme, they have gone after long, tall, and athletic corners, going away from some of the shorter corners Purdue has on the roster.
A source informed me that Preston Terrell may be leaving the team, but you will not see him in the transfer portal if he chooses to do that, he will become a student at Purdue. Same goes with linebacker, Ben Kreul and safety Ryan Brandt.
Purdue has worked hard to add depth to the offensive line, as pieces from last year's team are now gone.
The roster, as it currently stands is definitely defensive-heavy. Especially in the secondary as they look for the right recipe for success.
With six spots left, Purdue will more than likely use those up. The question is – on who? College graduations are right around the corner as well, graduates do not have to wait for the transfer portal to open again, they can enter and leave it freely.
Expect Purdue to lose a couple to graduation and to gain players as well.
Purdue Football: The State of the Roster (5/5 Update)
Five Spots Remain, What Does Purdue Need?
Here is the list of incoming transfers, with six spots currently left.
Marquis Wilson (CB), Salim Turner-Muhammad (CB), Botros Alisandro (CB), Malik Langham (DE), Isaiah Nichols (DE), Jeffrey M’ba (DE), Preston Nichols (OL), Ben Farrell (OL), Jalen Grant (OL), Hudson Card (QB), Anthony Brown (S), Corey Gammage (WR), Jahmal Edrine (WR).
Yes, that is 13 transfers, with the ability to add six more. Tell someone from 10 years ago that this is how rosters will be constructed in collegiate football in 2023 and they wouldn’t believe you for one second.
Even with those additions, and the incoming freshmen, Purdue still has plenty of holes.
Purdue needs another scholarship quarterback, really, really bad. Right now it is Hudson Card, then freshman Ryan Browne… That is it. The third quarterback or maybe even the backup will be Walk-On local product Kyle Adams, who came back to West Lafayette after time spent at James Madison.
They have added three offensive linemen, but they all appear to be interior offensive linemen, with the departure of Eric Miller, Purdue needs a swing tackle in the worst way possible.
Running Back could use another depth piece, but that looks like it will go to 2023 prospect Christian Womack.
Don’t expect this staff to just sit on the six scholarships, they will be used in some capacity.
More Recruiting Notes:
Expect Christian Womack to arrive this weekend for an official visit finally, he was slated to be here weeks ago, he probably will commit.
AJ Henning will be here, the Michigan Wide Receiver was the Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Year for the 2022 season. So was Charlie Jones in 2021 before he arrived at Purdue, just food for thought.
Bennett Meredith, a former 3-star quarterback and redshirt freshman will be on campus starting today. He is in the portal from Arizona State. This would help with a position that lacks depth.
Shon Stephens, the D-2 player who applied for a 7th year of eligibility was denied that waiver. He was expected to commit to Purdue if it went through, I truly can’t believe it was denied, as the NCAA approves basically everything these days. That may lead to Walters diving into the corner market again.
Raleigh Brugess Commits, Painter Looking for More in 2024
Earlier in the week, Coach Painter received a verbal commitment from the big man. Coach Painter had been pursuing Burgess for quite some time. The addition of Burgess to the 2024 class makes it one of the better classes in the country currently, adding to Kanon Catchings and Jack Benter.
The 4-star has been sidelined for quite some time with a broken leg but should be back on the court for the summer AAU circuit. I stated this last week in the “upload”, but while being hurt, his recruitment cooled with many schools - Painter stayed consistent and remained in contact with Burgess, little things like that go a long way with high school kids… and their families.
Painter, as we all know, is as genuine as a person and recruiter as anyone in the nation. He will tell prospects and families what he truly believes, and that seems to have gone a long way once again.
Burgess, who is a top 80 player for the class of 2024, could arrive on campus with a log jam at the center position, but, he is versatile enough to play power forward, and perhaps that is the long-term plan for him.
Burgess Commits to Purdue
Now the attention turns to who could be the next commit for the class of 2024.
Painter, I think, could take up to five for this class. He seems pretty smitten with two more in the class of 2024. We have followed Travis Perry extensively during his recruiting process. Nothing has changed between Purdue and Perry, there is mutual interest in both parties, and the interest is strong.
Perry, a combo guard, could be another long-term answer for Painter at point guard. He can fill it up too, he has many scoring records in the state of Kentucky, including his school scoring record.
The other? Gicarri Harris.
Harris, who is the son of Big Dog, is a big-time scorer and fits the mold more of a shooting guard or a small forward. If Harris were to choose Purdue, he would be the third four-star of the group. Currently, Kanon Cathings and Raleigh Burgess are ranked as four-star prospects. Catchings has a real chance to continue to climb on all recruiting platform's rankings.
Gicarri Harris Interview
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