Purdue loses commitment from 4-star DL prospect in class of 2023

Purdue lost a key member of its 2023 recruiting class of Wednesday morning.

4-star defensive lineman Kendrick Gilbert flipped from Purdue to Kentucky. He had been committed to the Boilermakers since August.

Gilbert announced the decision during his signing day ceremony at his high school.

Cathedral defensive lineman Kendrick Gilbert committed to Kentucky this morning. Gilbert, a 4-star prospect on the 247sports composite, was committed to Purdue prior to coaching change.

— Kyle Neddenriep (@KyleNeddenriep) February 1, 2023

Gilbert was the top-ranked commitments in Purdue’s 2023 recruiting class and a key in-state prospect. He attends Cathedral High School in Indianapolis.

He’s the No. 381 overall player and the No. 46 defensive lineman in the country for the class of 2023, per 247Sports Composite rankings. He’s also ranked as the No. 3 player from the state of Indiana.

Purdue has signed just 11 high school players so far in the class of 2023, in-part due to its offseason coaching change. Another 5 prospects could sign with the Boilermakers on Wednesday. The class ranks No. 65 nationally, per 247Sports Composite rankings.

However, new coach Ryan Walters has been aggressive in the transfer portal. Purdue has commitments from 4 transfer so far and that number could increase in the coming weeks and months.