A few thoughts on Kreul's addition for Purdue.
For one thing, it reflects that Purdue has a good thing going right now in recruiting, that it's, dare I say, hot. Purdue just got a player with other solid offers and more certainly to come to commit basically at hello.
Operationally, it also speaks to the outstanding job they've done getting underclassmen on campus for visits and games or both, not just once but repeatedly. That stuff really matters now as football recruiting is unfolding earlier and earlier and earlier every year.
This commitment is almost wholly a product of Purdue getting Kreul on campus twice during the season, and once in the spring prior, and that also speaks to Purdue game days having been built into something players actually want to come to now, on top of the work done by its staff in recruiting. Support staff are critical in the early stages of recruitments, too, and Purdue now has a really high level operation going, and in this case the early stages of the recruitment were the only stages, so there you go.
Football-wise, this speaks to direction and philosophy.
Years ago, defenses started going smaller and faster and more athletic to counter spread offenses, to account for space. Purdue is going in a more tradition direction with these big-bodied linebackers and traditional between-the-tackles types, with Kreul following Jacob Wahlberg and to a lesser extent Khali Saunders in that regard. I say to a lesser extent because Saunders will be an outside linebacker I think. Purdue is recruiting to a mold, I think, and that mold might be Ja'Whaun Bentley, just a big, physical, old-time type of inside linebacker.
Purdue's gone for height and length in its secondary and just recruited a safety in Marvin Grant who's going to walk in the door looking like a linebacker himself.
That's the clear direction: Physicality.
For one thing, it reflects that Purdue has a good thing going right now in recruiting, that it's, dare I say, hot. Purdue just got a player with other solid offers and more certainly to come to commit basically at hello.
Operationally, it also speaks to the outstanding job they've done getting underclassmen on campus for visits and games or both, not just once but repeatedly. That stuff really matters now as football recruiting is unfolding earlier and earlier and earlier every year.
This commitment is almost wholly a product of Purdue getting Kreul on campus twice during the season, and once in the spring prior, and that also speaks to Purdue game days having been built into something players actually want to come to now, on top of the work done by its staff in recruiting. Support staff are critical in the early stages of recruitments, too, and Purdue now has a really high level operation going, and in this case the early stages of the recruitment were the only stages, so there you go.
Football-wise, this speaks to direction and philosophy.
Years ago, defenses started going smaller and faster and more athletic to counter spread offenses, to account for space. Purdue is going in a more tradition direction with these big-bodied linebackers and traditional between-the-tackles types, with Kreul following Jacob Wahlberg and to a lesser extent Khali Saunders in that regard. I say to a lesser extent because Saunders will be an outside linebacker I think. Purdue is recruiting to a mold, I think, and that mold might be Ja'Whaun Bentley, just a big, physical, old-time type of inside linebacker.
Purdue's gone for height and length in its secondary and just recruited a safety in Marvin Grant who's going to walk in the door looking like a linebacker himself.
That's the clear direction: Physicality.
