Recruiting News and Notes

Welcome to “Recruiting News and Notes,” GoldandBlack.com’s weekly information clearinghouse, a spot for assorted bits of Purdue news, analysis and so on and so forth, intended for GoldandBlack.com members and GoldandBlack.com members only.

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PURDUE FOOTBALL RECRUITING

Three high schools are expected on Friday.

– Indianapolis Lawrence Central is bringing 10-15 kids. 2026 QB Terry Walker is part of that group.
– Detroit River Rouge is bringing 8-10 kids.
– East St. Louis (Ill.) is bringing 5 kids.
– A handful of 2027 kids from Detroit MLK are coming; there should be prospects. Names to know: ATH Dakota Guerrant (Harper Woods), ATH Darryl Flemister, EDGE Jameel Henry, ATH Anthony Cartwright (Country Day). All have P5 offers.

• Friday 2025 visitors with Purdue offers:
Murfreesboro (Tenn.) Siegel Tarrion Grant, who is committed
Elkhart (Ind.)/Central RE Mariyon Dye
Fishers (Ind.)/Hamilton Southeastern OL Cam Gorin
Palatine (Ill.)/Palatine RE Jaylen Williams
Massillon (Ohio)/Washington High OT Nolan Davenport
Nashville/Antioch OL Ta’Khyian Whitset
Nashville/Pearl-Cohn DE Kyler Garcia
Nashville/Lipscomb Academy NT Tony Carter

• Friday 2025 visitors without Purdue offers
Cincinnati/Archbishop Moeller S Micah Rice
Mundelein (Ill.)/Carmel Catholic OT Tommy Lamberti

• Friday 2026 visitors
Lewis Center (Ohio)/Olentangy S Kaden Gebhardt (offered)
Nashville Ensworth CB Justin Hopkins (offered)
Murfreesboro (Tenn.) Riverdale CB Zyntreacs Otey (offered)
Indianapolis/Decatur Central ILB Mykul Campbell
Tinley Park (Ill.)/Andrew OL/DE Jake Palucki
Lafayette Jeff WR Omar Williams Jr
Lafayette (Ind.)/Jeff RE Aaden Aytch

• Purdue will welcome a group of incoming 2024 PWO’s on Friday
– Fishers Hamilton Southeastern CB Jaren Bush
– Planfield (Ind.) EDGE Landon Drennan
– Newburgh (Ind.) Castle RB Antonio Harris
– Cincinnati St. Xavier Luke Klare
– West Lafayette (Ind.) QB Carson Kitchel
– West Lafayette (Ind.) TE/FB Cooper Kitchel
– Indianapolis Perry Meridian DB Isaiah Needam
– Lafayette (Ind.) Central Catholic DE Albert Schwartz
– Elkhart (Ind.) Rush end Logan Jellison
– New Haven (Ind.) WR James Hardy

• Among other visitors on Tuesday: 2026 Pickerington (Ohio) North CB Amar’e Miller visited. (Just wanted to use this photo!)

• 2025 three-star ATH Elijah Dotson released his top eight schools on Wednesday. He’s a product of Belleville (Mich.). He’s a big-timer.

PURDUE FOOTBALL

• Purdue will hold its first scrimmage on Friday, batting in Ross-Ade Stadium.

• Could Spencer Porath end up kicking and punting? He could before he leaves Purdue.

• Sounds like Ben Freehill has been doing some work at punter.

• Ryan Walters on an 18-team Big Ten:

“I think it’s exciting anytime there’s change. You added the caliber of programs that we added to this conference and the type of competition that’s gonna be week in and week out, that’s exciting. It’s fun. Especially for our game. I think viewership is already high in this conference and will only go up. And I think the Big Ten is starting to come to be the standard of what college football is.”

PURDUE BASKETBALL RECRUITING

Not much to report here new since Purdue is living and loving that portal-free life. But on Trent Sisley, we can tell you that word around his recruitment and in-state media circles is that Indiana is putting six-figures — good money — on the table trying to get him (and Braylon Mullins) to commit in the near term, trying to generate some positive momentum to help preserve Mike Woodson. They’re going to push their NIL budget out considerably this term, seems like, to attack the portal with abandon, but also to try to get a couple of these in-state high school players.

Purdue’s done a great job with Sisley and is right there at the top of the list, we believe, but Notre Dame and Michigan State are alive and kicking, too. 

Sisley has been the one guy — really the only guy — Purdue has gone all out for as it looks for a 4 man with its only 2025 scholarship. It did recruit Jalen Haralson, but that’s not gonna happen and he wouldn’t be a forward. (BN)

PURDUE BASKETBALL

Nothing really brewing on the staff at this point, but Terry Johnson’s name should come up with some of these mid-major jobs that have opened up. We do know he talked to IUPUI, but nothing wound up coming from it.

Should Indiana State open, it would make sense for him to be in play there. Toledo is open, but that job will be coveted by many. Drake is open, a pretty good job, but a bit outside Johnson’s Midwest footprint.

Purdue will have at least one staff spot to fill, as Jared Wulbrun’s headed out on the market.

We’d expect Carson Barrett to pursue it and likely get it.

Matt Painter highly values having players’ contemporaries on staff.

In other former Purdue coach carousel machinations, Cuonzo Martin just went back to Missouri State, Jack Owens followed Chris Holtmann to DePaul and Steve Lutz is reportedly a candidate at Oklahoma State after just one season at WKU. (BN)