GoldandBlack.com - Former Miami QB Marve headed to Purdue

May 21, 2009

GoldandBlack.com staff
GoldandBlack.com

Purdue coach Danny Hope just reeled in his biggest recruit yet.

As expected for days now, heralded quarterback transfer Robert Marve committed to Purdue Thursday, as the former Florida Mr. Football decided to seek a new beginning in West Lafayette after a rocky stay at Miami.

The 6-foot-1 Tampa native chose Purdue over opportunities at Tennessee, Nebraska, Arizona State, UCLA, South Florida and Texas Tech, among others.

After starting most of the season for the Hurricanes as a redshirt freshman in 2008, the former Rivals.com four-star recruit clashed with coach Randy Shannon and opted to leave Coral Gables.
The acrimony that followed went so far as to see Miami draw back its initial restrictions of Marve's release from this scholarship because of bad publicity and see Marve's high school coach, Robert Weiner, vow to never encourage a Plant High player to play for Shannon.

At Purdue, Marve will hope to put all that behind him and become the college star many expected him to be out of high school, when he broke Tim Tebow's state records for passing yards (4,380) and touchdowns (48) in a season.

As a redshirt freshman for the Hurricanes, Marve threw for 1,293 yards with nine touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 2008. He missed the first and last games of the season due to suspension.

Marve will have to sit out 2009 due to NCAA transfer rules.

He'll have two years of eligibility beginning in 2010, when Purdue would otherwise have been left without an upperclassman at quarterback, following the departure of presumed 2009 starter Joey Elliott.

Purdue recruited Marve heavily out of high school, but he committed early to Alabama before switching to Miami after Tide coach Mike Shula was fired.

Assistant coach Lou Anarumo, who recruited Marve the first time around, and first-year offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Gary Nord were instrumental in his re-recruitment.

Marve took an official visit to Purdue the first weekend of April. He also visited Nebraska and Arizona State, among others, officially and took an unofficial visit to Tennessee.