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.

Please welcome Recruiting News and Notes sponsor T&W Design and Build, an Indianapolis construction management company since 1968 with proud Purdue graduates that specialize in changing the way customers think about construction.

PURDUE BASKETBALL RECRUITING

Purdue is due to make a visit again this week (might be today, not sure) to see Trent Sisley, as the number of sleigh rides Matt Painter has made to Santa Claus nears a dozen now.

Lots of positive signs for Purdue on its (perhaps only) Class of 2025 target with what is likely to be its only scholarship for the class.

We’ve always sort of suspended disbelief on Purdue with Sisley figuring that even if Indiana didn’t get him, its people would car-bomb Purdue, but that was probably just the weird jadedness and perpetual distrust that comes from too many years covering recruiting, haha.

Anyway, the unrest at IU obviously really hurts Indiana, and transfer culture hurts them even more, as we’ve told you for more than a year now.

Purdue’s laid out a real basketball plan for Sisley, a relatively quick, though assurance-free, path to the floor and presumably a chance to play alongside the sort of big men who could amplify Sisley’s perimeter skill set.

Painter has connected very well with the player and family and that has really mattered. The Final Four didn’t hurt, but Purdue was in a pretty good place before that.

This is looking pretty good for Purdue right now, but this is not over. Indiana’s going to keep working on him, though a generous NIL offer hasn’t seemed to move the needle and this likely isn’t a money deal anyway. Notre Dame and Michigan State are still very alive here, too. (BN)

PURDUE FOOTBALL RECRUITING

• The portal is cooking. As we have said, Purdue is thought to be in the market for a punter, long-snapper, defensive lineman, star (CB/S), rush end and tight end.

With Jack Ansell gone, Purdue is expected to play host from April 18-20 to Mississippi State P Keelan Crimmins, an Australian who will have three years of eligibility. He’s a product of Prokick Australia, which has sent numerous punters to the states since it began in 2007.

Crimmins averaged 40.9 yards on 49 punts last year in Starkville. And 13 of his punts landed inside the 20-yard line while 28 were fair caught. Only nine were returned.

It would not be a shock if Crimmins becomes a Boilermaker.

As of now, Purdue has just one punter on the roster: walk-on Bennett Boehnelin. Ideally, it’s believed Purdue special teams coach Chris Petrilli would like to have three punters, three kickers and three long-snappers on the roster with one on scholarship at each position.

• Purdue is set at kicker with Spencer Porath coming this summer from Brownsburg (Ind.) High. Also due to arrive: UCLA transfer RJ Lopez. Ben Freehill is the lone holdover. Porath is expected to handle placements with Lopez kicking off. Freehill will battle for both spots.

• Long-snapper? Daniel Hawthorne, a transfer from Missouri in 2023, is the only one here. Purdue is likely to land a snapper from the portal and potentially a JC guy, too.

• LSU rush end Jaxon Howard announced a Purdue offer on social media this week. He’s a 2023 four-star recruit from Minneapolis Robbinsdale Cooper High with three years of eligibility. His dad Willie played DT at Stanford and for the Vikings. Schools like Washington, Cal, Michigan State, Minnesota and Kansas have offered, among others. Howard played in five games for the Tigers last season, recording a pair of tackles. Bottom line: It may be difficult to reel-in Howard, or even get a visit.

• Purdue 2025 S commit Tarrion Grant recently earned a 5-star ranking from On3. We caught up with the Murfreesboro (Tenn.) Siegel High product to get his reaction.

PURDUE FOOTBALL

• Purdue has already seen two players enter the portal: DB Ethon Cole and RB Christian Womack. Each is a redshirt freshman. Cole was sidelined in 2023 by injury, while Womack didn’t get on the field last year and dealt with a hamstring issue this spring. Neither departure is a shock.

Purdue will welcome two high-level safeties this summer in its 2024 class: Koy Beasley and Luke Williams. In fact, both are probably the most highly rated signees in Purdue’s incoming class.

Womack’s departure means Purdue is down to three scholarship running backs:  Devin Mockobee, Reggie Love and Jaheim Merriweather. Mockobee and Love are the clear 1-2 punch, while Merriweather drips with potential. And coaches are legit excited about speedy redshirt freshman walk-on Elijah Jackson.

Don’t expect Purdue to pursue a running back in the portal to replace Womack. What portal RB would want to compete to be the No. 3 option? And be happy? Plus, it’s believed a starting RB that’s the talent level of Mockobee and Love would–ahem–be costly. And would importing a top RB now ruffle the feathers of Mockobee and Love?

• Purdue WR coach Cory Patterson on WR Jahmal Edrine, who missed 2023 with a knee injury after transferring from Florida Atlantic: “Nobody works harder than Jahmal. That’s one of those guys that you just you pray that he get his opportunity to come out because he’s worked his tail off to get back. You never seen a day with his head down. Like from the day of the injury, I don’t think I’ve seen a guy get back faster. And I know we’ve been kind of like protecting him a little bit, but this dude is running his tail off, he’s catching the football like crazy.

“I’m really expecting some good stuff from Jahmal. I really am. That’s the guy that I’m expecting to have one of those type of years and I don’t want to speak that on him but I really, really really really … after you see how hard the guy works, you really want to see that happen for him.”

• Purdue rush ends coach Joe Dineen on ILB Kydran Jenkins:

“He’s a great player. Safety. He can play quarterback, probably. You just want a player like that around. So, we’re glad that he’s here and I think it’s credit to Coach (Ryan) Walters and what he’ll do for the players.

“I think for him, to make it to where he wants to go, people wanted to see him play in the box. And through the spring practices, he can do it. And I think it’s really credit to Coach Walters putting these guys in position to reach their highest potential.”