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

• Purdue will hold its spring game on Saturday. And the program will play host to a raft of recruits, as well as some 2025 commitments and 2024 signees.

Players from nine states across the Classes of 2025, 2026 and 2027 will be on hand, in addition to some 2024 signees. Check out the list of expected prospects this weekend.

2025
Dallas Parish Episcopal QB Sawyer Anderson (commit)
Mufreesboro (Tenn.) Siegel CB Tarrion Grant (commit)
Fishers (Ind.) Hamilton Southeastern OL Cam Gorin
Paw Paw (Mich.) OT Darrin Strey
Elkhart (Ind.) Central EDGE Mariyon Dye
Westfield (Ind.) OL Avery Huggins
Centerville (Ohio) OT Kuol Kuol
Pleasant Grove (Ala.) WR Clarence Taylor
Detroit Chippewa Valley WR Deshaun Lanier
Franklin (Wis.) TE Ben Verges
College Station (Texas) TE Jackson Verdugo
Cincinnati Princeton OT Paul Nelson

2026
Lansing (Mich.) Haslett RB Kory Amachree
Naples (Fla.) First Baptist Academy WR Jayden Petit
Fort Wayne (Ind.) Carroll WR Jaidon Vanpelt
Pataskala (Ohio) Watkins Memorial WR Jaeden Ricketts
Knoxville (Tenn.) Bearden CB Chaston Smith

2027
Lake In The Hills (Ill.) Carmel Catholic Trae Taylor
Saint Joseph (Ill.) St. Joseph-Ogden OT Cameron Wagner

2024 Signees
K Spencer Porath
CB Earl Kulp
S Ty Hudkins
S Luke Williams
WR Leland Smith

• Add Indianapolis Lawrence Central TE Nizyi Davis to the growing list of players who have scheduled an OV for June. Davis will come to West Lafayette June 21st-23rd.

A look at who is coming when for OVs in June, thus far …

JUNE 7th weekend

Fishers (Ind.) Hamilton Southeastern CB Mason Alexander

West Chester (Ohio) Lakota West LB Grant Beerman

Columbus (Ohio) Franklin CB Dawayne Galloway

Nashville Pearl-Cohn DL Kyler Garcia

Fishers (Ind.) Hamilton Southeastern OL Cam Gorin

Hammond (Ind.) Morton Senior WR Lebron Hill 

Burlington (Ky.) Robert Taft DL Drayden Pavey

Cleveland Heights DL Jayquan Stubbs

Nashville Antioch OT Takhyian Whitset

Palatine (Ill.) DL Jaylen Williams

JUNE 14th weekend

DeSoto (Texas) LB Keylan Abrams

Fishers (Ind.) WR JonAnthony Hall

Leo (Ind.) TE Brock Schott

Birmingham (Ala.) Parker rush end Caleb Smith

Shawnee (Kan.) Mill Valley rush end Jayden Woods

JUNE 21st weekend

Muncie (Ind.) Delta rush end Landon Brooks

Murfeesboro (Tenn.) Siegel CB Tarrion Grant

Murfreesboro (Tenn.) Rockvale S Jaylan Morgan

Port Orange (Fla.) Spruce Creek rush end  Derry Norris

Akron (Ohio) East RB Ziaire Stevens

West Bloomfield (Mich) Orchard Lake St. Mary’s LB Charles White

Indianapolis Lawrence Central TE Nizyi Davis

PURDUE FOOTBALL

• WR TJ Sheffield hit the portal after last season and transferred to Michigan State. Alas, he is not enrolled at East Lansing. It is thought it is an academic issue. Could Sheffield–a captain in 2023–return to West Lafayette? I am told: No.

• Feel pretty good saying Purdue’s top April portal priorities are:

1 punter (expect an Aussie)
2 long-snapper
3 d-lineman (just a pedestrian lot)
4 rush end (just three solid options now)
5 CB/S “star” (need more options)
6 in-line tight end (big, physical option)
7 running back (speedy option)

Sounds like five or so players could exit via the portal, which opens for 15 days from April 15-30.

“Who knows, right?” said Ryan Walters. “It’s like Wall Street, right? You just kind of gotta go with the market. I’m sure we’ll get surprised and have some guys enter the portal that we didn’t anticipate. And I’m sure everyone across the country is thinking the same thing.”

• I asked an NFL scout to break down Tyrone Tracy: “Tracy certainly helped himself at the Combine. I still don’t think he always plays to those numbers. I see him as a backup/rotational-type back who would need to play on special teams to make it.

“I don’t think there are any other draftables (at Purdue).”

• Many former Boilermakers will be on hand for the spring game. Players from the 1960s to 2020s plan to be on hand to golf on Friday at 1 p.m. That will be followed by a 7 p.m. dinner in the Buchanan Club with Ryan Walters and the current team. After the game, the football alums will gather at Walt’s Pub at 3 p.m.

Among some of the notable players expected back:

Tom Luken
Rich Ostriker
Jappy Oliver
Randy Clark
Pete Quinn
Mike Marks
Tom Kingsbury
Bart Conley
Elvin Caldwell
Mark Fischer
Chris Koeppen
Vinny Sutherland
Kelly Kitchel
Matt Mitrione
Mike Rose
Rosevelt Colvin
Seth Morales
Brandon Gorin
Danny Anthrop

• Purdue plans to get through spring ball before filling the running backs GA spot created when James Gilbert left for the Pittsburg State RB job.