Hazell's Hybrid Class

I've read and listened to a lot today about this incoming class...and a couple things stick out to me.  First, the quote I liked the best came via GBI from a student...not a player...not a coach.  But it was a reaction to hearing Coach Hazell speak this evening in Mackey.

"When you look at him compared to Coach Hope, he sounds more knowledgeable, sounds like he knows what he's talking about. Doesn't have those statements that make you scratch your head and wonder what he's talking about. He's concise, clear and you definitely can tell he's motivated."
-Tyler Gray, Purdue University Junior

Tyler's right on- there aren't many wasted words with Hazell...fans notice that, students are noticing...players will notice. On the same point, Danny Etling said that he thinks Hazell might be upset if he doesn't complete every pass in practice.  A new sheriff is indeed in town, and as recruits are all noticing, the culture has to change and is already beginning to do so.

Hope perpetually had problems with depth at multiple positions because it seemed like he had no plan...Hazell mentioned creating depth two or three times through recruiting, development and movement of players as needed...but still isn't too happy with the safety position; will need to move some corners.

This class doesn't seem expect to be great or even good because they're great players...they seem to believe that their collective work and discipline will make them better.  Another quote I liked was from David Yancey.  He said he felt honored to be able to just go into Mollenkopf and work out each day.

The sense of entitlement that some players show in college football doesn't seem to be evident with this group of 23 signees.

Hazell likes the versatility of this class a lot- from RBs that can play in the slot, to lineman that can play as OLBs in the 3-4, TEs that can move outside or DEs that might be able to bulk up and become DTs with a meal or two.

And speaking of Des, one of Hope's biggest weaknesses in the last two years at Purdue was getting new DEs to come on campus and become the next guys in the Den.  But Hazell and the staff, in mere weeks added to the class at that position specifically:

Antoine Miles, Johnny Tompson, Danny Ezechukwu, John Strauser, Jake Replogle and Evan Panfil are the DEs of 2013.  Miles seems physically most-ready to play right away.  Purdue beat out Nebraska, Pitt, WVU, Cincy and others for his services. Strauser's uncle coaches at Pitt, and Purdue still beat Pitt and Illinois out for him. Panfil de-committed from Illinois to come to God's country...and Replogle was the fourth Replogle to play college football in the last 6 years...the others all went to IU.

Just to their right or left, the Tackles are Johnny Daniels, a late addition to the class and Ra'Zahn Howard, who comes to Purdue via prep school...he's a big dude at 6'3" 305.

DBs include Austin Logan, Tyvel Jemison, Leroy Clark and Da'Wan Hunte.  Logan is the biggest of the four, seems to be a natural safety that chose Purdue over Northwestern, Stanford, IU, Cincy...others.  One of the gems of the class comes out of this group in Miami's Leroy Clark who chose Purdue over Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Florida and a few others.  He seems to the most-likely to see playing time the most-quickly. Clark's video from high school is really fun to watch as he seems to be looking to score all of the time, regardless if he's playing offense or defense or what the situation is...and he was a ball hawk.

The lone LB in the class is Dezwan Polk-Campbell...which leads me to believe that one or more of the DEs in this class will move away from the line in the spring.

Obviously, Hope focused on QBs in the last class, but Hazell said a wide-open QB competition begins in spring ball...we talked about the battle between Henry, Appleby, Etling and Marshall a while ago.  I like these guys quite a bit already- Henry's leadership, Appleby's attention to detail, Marshall's athleticism and Etling's drive to not rest will make this a tough race to have any favorites...I really want to see the right guy get the chance to run the show; getting rid of the two (three) QB system will be an improvement regardless of whom is named starter in August.

Only one Olineman in this class.  6'7", 310 pound, Jason Tretter chose Purdue over Harvard, Yale, Columbia and others...he was recruited by Hazell at KSU as well. Methinks that a guy with a bunch of Ivy League offers won't have much of a problem retaining the playbook.  Let's all remember that five OLmen redshirted last fall and will be Freshman again in the fall...and all of those guys are Huuuuuuuge.

Green stuck by his word.

Keyante Green leads up a group of talented RBs...and this group has a few interesting stories.  First off, Green fought the fact that he grew up as a Tennessee fan and received a late offer from the Vols to stay committed to Hazell and co. Green had a boatload of offers including Tennessee, aOSU, Ole Miss, UCLA, South Carolina and others. Keith Byars III, (son of aOSU great, of course) comes via prep school, but had offers from Louisville, Iowa, Illinois, Maryland and others. David Yancey had four siblings go to Purdue before him and Dalyn Dawkins was a late addition to the class...the only guy out of Kentucky.

Purdue picked up Garrett Hudson and Matt Burke at the TE slot.  Burke played in the US Army All-America game and had a bunch of Ivy League offers along with Boise State and others.  He's big (6'6"), but I'd expect him to spend a year getting stronger as Holmes and Carvajal are in front of him.

Only three pure WR are in this class...all 6'2" or taller:
Dan Monteroso de-committed from BC to play for Hazell...and also had an offer from Iowa and a few MAC schools.  Deangelo Yancey chose Purdue over Ole Miss, Mizzou, NCState and others and Myles Norwood comes to Purdue after spending a year in Prep School.

The guys that will be competing for playing time right away look like Green, Etling, Clark, Logan and Miles.  QB, RB, DB and DE all are a bit thin OR underexperienced.

It's a tough position for this coaching staff to come in so late in the recruiting season and still be able to land most of the guys who were on board for Hope's staff...but the old staff's last thumbprint at Purdue was keeping in contact with these guys...then the new staff attacked the in-home visits as soon as it was legal and did a pretty solid job.  I believe we'll see fewer Florida guys and more Midwesterners (specifically Ohio) in next year's class, but tonight, the staff can rest, at least for a few days, knowing their first collective action as a staff was a success.

Next up, Spring ball.

Wednesday Gumbo

Not all of the letters of intent have come in yet, so we're not going to look at the football class just yet. But, it looks like most of the incoming players have sent in their letters. A few haven't- I wouldn't worry about it if I was you- as in a ton of aspects of life, worrying will do you absolutely no good. If one of these kids gets woo'd away by a bright, shiny object, so be it. Let's hope the guys that end up in the program really want to be there and fulfill the needs at hand. We'll have more later.

Kohl is tough to Crack

Here's the deal- there's a reason Wisconsin wins so many games at home. First, they're great at home. They know the rims, their crowd is hostile and they have a good coach. But, having BT officials as part of the game surely doesn't hurt them.

Wisconsin plays a style of basketball that sets the game back to pre-1980, in my opinion. They slow teams down by grabbing, tugging, reaching over the back, shoving and reaching in. They've done it for longer than Bo was there. Back when Dick Bennett was there, they did the same thing...but those teams couldn't score. Bo's teams can.

Ryan simply dares the officials to blow their whistles on every possession...whether at home or away. The good thing for him is that guys like Burr, Hightower, O'Neill, Valentine and others love to be part of a good show. They love getting the crowd into a lather as they make up hand signals that have nothing to do with the game of basketball. They like hopping down the baseline, chirping their whistles as they try to figure out what they're supposed to call. I think more than half the time, they're just making sure they can come up with a believable story to help the home team (Wisconsin, Purdue or where ever). The clowns in stripes protect the homecourt as well as the team in light colored jerseys, in my opinion.

Jump Ball!

That's why, when travelling, a team has to be better, sharper, more resilient and more on-task than the home team...a lot more. We all know the deal. Road games are a chance for All-Conference players, or All-Americans even, to step up and become great...to surprise everyone in the arena...to silence the natives and fight through atrocious officiating and earn a victory. Purdue didn't do that yesterday. Two of Purdue's greatest players in the history of the program simply weren't able to get it done. The beating JJ had taken had seemingly worn him down so much that the shots he usually makes were way off. Similarly, Smooge was way off the mark down the stretch of the game. It could have been because of injury, but we'll never know. He's not the kind of guy to complain. After understanding the state of his shot, he started to see himself as a second option...but no one in Purdue's backcourt creates like 33.

By the way, the final foul count last night was 19 to 11. ELEVEN frickin' fouls for Wisconsin. That's not the reason Purdue lost, but there is simply no way in hell that the goons from Wisconsin were able to play that sort of squeaky-clean game.

Purdue couldn't overcome. Our Boilers couldn't put the Badgers away when they had them on the ropes with 11:00 left. That's why they lost this game...that's why they lost the WVU game. They've had the killer instinct versus the lower-half of the league, but simply haven't found it against the top-third on the road. How that translates at a neutral court in March, who knows. But, old habits die hard. And until Matty, JJ, Smooge and co figure out how to get over the hump away from the cozy confines of Mackey Arena, nothing's going to change.

J and I have had a hope since before this season- And it had nothing to do with Purdue winning the Big Ten. It was that they'd be playing their best basketball in March. It was a hope that they'd be a full-strength come tourney time and that one or both of the Big Two would be in rhythm, if not white-hot in the post-season. That way, as fans we wouldn't have anything to say other than, we got to see their best-possible game the last game of the season.

All of that is still very much a possibility. But, there's much to be learned prior to that. The BT conference race seems to be a chase for second place. Purdue and 'Sconsin are tiny in aOSU's rear view mirror...and I don't think there's enough help remaining in the conference for this race to be considered anything other than done. But the season's not lost. And I'm sure Matty's more worried about the problems at hand than the things he has no control over.

With four road games remaining, Purdue could win four, should win three, but (from what I've seen thus far) will probably win two. In that case they must go unbeaten in Mackey in order to have a chance to make noise in the tourney.

CCR

Purdue's computer ranking will probably be around 11 when the RPI comes out later today. I don't think a loss at Wisconsin is a bad thing in anybody's eyes. But I'm positive that the guys that play with Purdue on their chest feel like we do today- that game was winnable and should have been in the left column for our Boilers.

I am so S-M-R-T (and notes)

Signing Day almost here

A few weeks ago, I previewed the incoming recruiting class. Two of my favorite players were, of course, A.J. King and Russell Bellomy.

My wisdom knows no bounds.

Russell Bellomy is set to become a Wolverine after a glorious visit to Ann Arbor (I've actually heard she gets around). Now that the dust is all settled, there's really only one thing that bothers me about the Bellomy situation, this quote:

"That's going to be a fun game (v. Purdue), but at the end I am going to shake their hand and look them in the eye and there are no hard feelings."

That's great. Russell has no hard feelings toward Purdue...good to know. I mean, you'd think when a kid gets recruited by a team, they pay for multiple visits, put all of their 'eggs' in his basket, the fans shower him with compliments, he'd have at least some ill will toward that school...Ammiright??

And more recently, A.J. King's schollie was pulled following a slow recovery to a knee injury. I'm not sure if I like this move a whole lot. But, it could be that Hope is simply gun shy of guys with pre-existing knee conditions right now (especially knee injuries). As of late, the football program has been little more than a recovery ward. Let's also not forget that Ralph Bolden came in with an injured knee and later was injured again. Also, Ishmael Aristide had a knee injury that kept him off the field for his Senior season and he still hasn't gotten his quickness back to where he was.

I hope King lands some place and succeeds...this stinks for him.

Signing day is tomorrow...I'm still hoping to see a late OL signing...but I'm not holding my breath.

Must Win?

Our Boilers came close in two-straight contests on the road versus quality opponents, but couldn't get the job done. Purdue has three games on the road remaining versus top-40 opponents...and all of them look winnable from where I stand. But, to win one, in my opinion, you've gotta figure some things out in a hurry. Tonight would be a great time to start.

Let's remember, Purdue is one of the only teams that's ever swept Wisconsin since the Kohl Center opened...Plus, this Senior class was part of the group that did that. Since Hummel has been the Badger killer in the past, hopefully he can impart some of his wisdom on the guys who are available for the job this time around. Methinks it'll almost have to be Smooge to make it happen. Regardless of whom makes it happen, it'll be no small task.

Distracting

Tip-off is tonight around 7:00 on EsPN.

A Quick Look at the Incoming Class

Today, Purdue signed 17 players to bring the total incoming class up to 20. As you all know, 70% of the class is from the state of Florida, with only 6 players being recruited from New Jersey, Kentucky, Georgia (2), Texas and NY. This is the first time since '75 that Purdue hasn't signed a player from Indiana...and opinions are mixed if this is all positive. While I understand that Football is played year round in the Southeast, I also don't think it's great to see good players leaving the state. Players like Dakotah Tyler, Montez Robinson and Jordan Barnes come to mind first as the ones that got away...But Hope and Co. didn't see it as important to focus on Indiana.

Some theorize that a two-star Florida player equates to a three-star Indiana player. I don't know if that's necessarily true, but as IU recruited heavily in Indiana, we will get to see how the two states compare in the next four years. IU's recruiting class ended up being ranked 58 (65 according to Scout) and Purdue's comes in at 74 (63 according to Scout)...pretty even. And honestly, according to star ranking, neither is anything to write home about...but I like a lot about this incoming class for Purdue.

Speed was obviously a focus as Purdue boasts of eight players that run a sub-4.5 40 yard dash...five of those in the 4.4 range. But does that speed come at a cost in the fact that many of these guys will need a redshirt year to bulk up? Perhaps...but whether they're physically ready or not may not matter as Purdue will probably need to get at least a few of these receivers on the field right away.

Here are some of the guys that I think have a good chance of seeing the field in the fall of '09:
-Ishmael Aristide CB
-Dwayne Beckford LB ('08 carry over)
-Gabe Holmes TE
-Al-Terek McBurse RB
-Antwon Higgs DE
-Eric McDaniel DT
-Xavier Reese WR
-Eric Williams WR (slot)

My hope is no more than this are needed and can be redshirted...but my guess is that won't be the case...and I am positive one or two of the 4.4 players will end up playing special teams someplace.

Conversely, here are the players that I think will redshirt:
-Antavian Edison
-Cody Davis
-Trevor Foy (I think Hope sees him as an O-lineman a la Matt Light)
-Rob Henry (I actually hope he is able to redshirt; he has huge upside)
-Kevin Pamphile (only played organized football for one season)
-Chris Quinn
-Najee Tyler

Granted, this is all vast speculation based on articles and videos...so I could be very wrong. But I am already excited to see what the new guys can do.

No Huge Surprises Yet

Both Buchanan and Griffin have decided to play college football elsewhere...and with Buchanan's void, Purdue offered Kevin Pamphile who promptly signed a LOI. Pamphile is a guy with huge upside as he has very good size, good speed and has only played high school football FOR ONE SEASON.

No word on Wesley Tate yet...and curiously, Jordan Barnes has not signed his letter of intent yet for Oklahoma State. Barnes' recruitment has already been a bit of a soap opera as he left his initial verbal to UM, named Purdue as his leader, then finally gave a somewhat tepid commitment to OSU. We'll see where he finally lands.

Hope's official signing day presser is at 4:00 pm...so unless something major breaks, I won't be posting until the early evening.