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Early Signing Day primer: What you need to know about Purdue’s 2023 class
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Note: All star ratings and all rankings are based on 247Sports and its composite rankings as of Tuesday morning, Dec. 20, unless otherwise indicated.
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The coaching change has cost the Boilermakers in their 2023 recruiting class.
It’s not unexpected. Coach Ryan Walters has been on the job less than a week after Jeff Brohm left Purdue for Louisville earlier this month, with the change having led to 7 decommitments. It’s left Purdue with a recruiting class, as of Tuesday morning, that included 12 players who combine to rank 13th in the Big Ten and 68th in the country.
Maybe Walters can pull in a late commitment or 2 who will sign on during the early period, which starts on Wednesday. But certainly the 1st-year coach, the former defensive coordinator at Illinois, will hit the portal and the late spring period hard, because Purdue has a lot of positions to improve this offseason. That said, let’s take a look at Purdue’s 2023 early signing class:
By the numbers
Overall rank: 68th
B1G rank: 13th
5-stars: 0
4-stars: 1
Highest-rated player: DT, Kendrick Gilbert, 4-star
Indianapolis defensive tackle Kendrick Gilbert is Purdue’s highest-ranked commitment, a 4-star whom the Boilermakers snagged in August over Iowa, Kentucky, LSU and others.
But, unfortunately for Walters and his staff, it’s not yet clear whether Gilbert, the No. 3 overall prospect in Indiana, will sign on Wednesday, or in the early signing period at all. It’s possible the 6-5, 250-pounder at Indianapolis Cathedral will wait until the spring to make his decision. One factor: Mark Hagen. The assistant coach is serving as Purdue’s interim defensive coordinator as the Boilermakers prep to play LSU in the Jan. 2 Citrus Bowl, but is reportedly then headed to Louisville to join Brohm’s staff there. Could Gilbert follow?
If he decommits, he’d follow 7 others in leaving the Purdue class: Defensive linemen Micah Carter and Saadiq Clements, running backs Keyjuan Brown and Terrell Washington Jr., wide receivers Shaborne Demps and TJ McWilliams and offensive lineman Ethan Fields.
Did the Boilermakers bolster the QB room? Yes
After Purdue lost long-time commitment Rickie Collins to LSU, where the 4-star is expected to sign Wednesday, the Boilermakers went searching for another quarterback to add to the class.
They landed on 3-star Ryan Browne, out of Milford Academy in New York, snagging the 6-4, 195-pounder from a group of a bunch of smaller-school offers and interest from Wisconsin, Florida State and others. He’ll be a mid-year enrollee, joining a QB room that has only Michael Alaimo and Brady Allen on scholarship.
Walters will almost certainly look for veteran quarterback help from the transfer portal, needing an experienced option to at least compete for the starting job in 2023.
Best position group: Secondary
Purdue was already thin in its defensive backfield.
Now, it’ll see its top 3 cornerbacks and most-experienced safety graduate. Needless to say, replenishing those positions was imperative as part of this class, and Purdue pulled in safety prospects Dillon Thieneman, Ethon Cole and Winston Berglund, along with cornerback Zion Gunn. All 4 3-star prospects have stuck by their commitments through the coaching change. Considering where the Boilermakers are in their defensive secondary, where competition in the depth chart will be wide open, particularly with a new defensive scheme under Walters and expected defensive coordinator Kevin Kane, perhaps a freshman could start from Day 1.
Biggest need filled: Wide receivers
Purdue needs playmakers against on the perimeter.
During the Brohm years, from Rondale Moore to David Bell to Charlie Jones, the Boilermakers had a sure-fire go-to wide receiver. Now, there’s not a clear next-man-up, so Purdue is trying to restock the position group with good, young talent. It thinks it’s done so with 3-stars Jaron Tibbs, the 18th-best player in Indiana, and Ryne Shackelford, who ranks No. 28 in Ohio.
Purdue lost 2 others at the position, however, as TJ McWilliams and Shaborne Demps decided to decommitment. For McWilliams, an Indianapolis wide receiver, that meant committing to Minnesota a day after separating from the Boilermakers.
Biggest potential flip: Athlete, Jyaire Hill, 4-star
Purdue saw a bit of a surprise Monday, when Jyaire Hill, a 4-star athlete from Kankakee, Ill., included the Boilermakers on his list of 5 finalists, with Illinois, Florida, Missouri and Kentucky. Most likely, it’s the influence of Walters and Kane who have put Purdue on the list at the last moment, after the duo were recruiting Hill to Illinois previously.
The No. 2 player in the State of Illinois and No. 23 cornerback nationally will make his decision at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday. He would be a big get, perhaps gaining early recruiting momentum for the new coaching regime at Purdue.
Final takeaways
With the coaching change, Purdue is piecing its class together.
The group is unlikely to wow in terms of national rankings, as least as of right now, but it’s probably too early to make a final judgement. Walters will continue to recruit through to the spring period, where Purdue could still add to the class. And maybe Wednesday will bring more surprises, although Gilbert seems unlikely to sign right now.
But even as it stands today, the class helps Purdue, particularly on the defensive side. Will Heldt and Drake Carlson are quality 3-star defensive linemen, plus Purdue has a linebacker commitment in Owen Davis, along with the likely signees in the secondary. But Purdue is gong to need much more offensively, and it’ll have to wait and see there.
Kyle Charters, a familiar face at Gold & Black, covers Purdue, Indiana and college basketball for Saturday Tradition.