Social media, NIL, Ryan Walters dealt with it all in building 2023 recruiting class
Name, Image and Likeness. Those three words have come to permeate every nook of college athletics. Recruiting is no exception. Purdue coach Ryan Walters gets it.
“When does it not come up in recruiting, you know what I mean?” said Walters. “That is the reality of where we are. It’s not something to run away from or be shy about. It’s the status quo now of college football. So, I think we’ve got a good plan in place there that can lead to sustained success. And so I’m excited. I’m not scared of NIL. Some people will look at it as a challenge. I look at it as an opportunity.”
No doubt, NIL came up often as the first-year Boilermaker coach was building his 2023 recruiting class. Purdue signed 12 players in December during the first window. Today, the Boilermaker staff welcomed five more players–four high school prospects and a junior college player. This is on top of the five players Walters has added from the transfer portal, including a new addition today.
“We tried to identify and sign guys that love football for football, not for Twitter likes or Instagram followers,” said Walters. “These guys love ball. The guys that we have already enrolled, they’ve hit the ground running in workouts and they’re doing overtime workouts and working on their craft in the indoor by themselves. So, I think we’ve got the right kind of guys to make up the locker room and maintain and enhance the chemistry there.”
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On Wednesday, Purdue signed five prep players: ATH Mondrell Dean, WR/CB Arhmad Branch, WR/CB Derrick Rogers, Jr., OT Issiah Walker, Jr. and TE George Burhenn. Will any of them be able to help this fall?
“I would hope so,” said Walters. “I think we’ll find out more through spring ball when we get an accurate evaluation. Right now, they’re just working out. Nobody’s put on pads, nobody’s taken a snap. But if they’re the type of guys that we want to recruit to this program, hopefully they can help us on Saturdays.”
Branch could be one of those players. The Festus (Mo.) High product came on Purdue’s radar late. He’s a dynamic athlete with tantalizing potential.
“I’m a guy that’s really big into the evaluation process,” said Walters. “Obviously, the rankings and who’s the stars and all that kind of stuff, it can be attractive on paper. But I also trust my own eyes and my own evaluation and our staffs evaluation.”
And Walters’ eyes told him Branch was a guy he wanted. Another player Walters wanted was Stanford CB Salim Turner-Muhammad, who committed on Wednesday from the portal. He’s a grad transfer with two years of eligibility.
Turner-Muhammad joins four other transfers who already are on campus: DE Isaiah Nichols, S Anthony Brown, C/G Jalen Grant and the presumptive No. 1 quarterback: Texas’ Hudson Card.
“I thought it was important to go identify and sign a transfer quarterback,” said Walters. “I thought we did that. I thought Hudson was the best quarterback in the portal. And so it was good for (offensive coordinator) Graham (Harrell) and I to go out and see him and his family and ultimately get him enrolled here.”
What does Walters like about Card?
“When you watch the tape, the ball comes out of his hand pretty effortlessly, and it’s natural,” said Walters. “And he’s also a football player. He’s not just a quarterback. He’s got the ability to extend plays with his legs. He’s very calm and collected. And he’s got great poise, which I think is important at the quarterback position.”
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One player who got away: four-time DT Kendrick Gilbert, a long-time Purdue commitment who signed with Kentucky today. Walters and Co., are moving on, already in pursuit of 2024 recruits. Myriad offers already have been extended. And Purdue hosted a Junior Day last Sunday. Part of Walters’ arsenal in building recruiting classes is social media
“I do think that social media can provide recruits a glimpse of what the program is like,” said Walters. “So, I think it is important to use it the right way, not only promoting the staff and the facilities, but also highlighting the guys in the locker room and giving them avenues and opportunities to promote themselves because those can also be very, very good recruiting tools. We just got to be strategic about what kind of content we’re putting out and exactly who our target audience is.”
Up next for Walters and Purdue will be spring football, which likely will begin the week after Purdue’s spring break, which is slated for March 13-18.
“Obviously, I’m still getting to know the guys in the locker room,” said Walters. “I tried to get down and watch workouts as much as possible. But with the recruiting calendar, we’ve been out of town. So, it is good to be back and grounded. We got a team meeting on Saturday and I can’t wait. It’ll be fun to get to know the guys in the locker room on a more personal level.”
