8/10/2023 football Edit

23 Days to Purdue Football: Ethon Cole & Mondrell Dean

Travis Miller • BoilerUpload

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@JustTMill

Travis Miller is the publisher of Boiler Upload, the new home of Purdue sports on the Rivals.com network.

It is another double player day today as both of today's featured players were members of the 2023 recruiting class.

Ethon Cole - Fr.

Clermont, FL (Lake Minneola HS)

6'1", 195 pounds

Defensive Back

2023 Projection: Possible redshirt

Cole comes to Purdue primarily as a safety. He is a three-star prospect out of Florida, where he excelled at Lake Minneola HS. In three years there he had 122 tackles, nine tackles for loss, two interceptions and two forced fumbles. That includes an appearance in the Class 6A state title game in 2020. His speed is also a factor, as he was on the state finalist 4x100 meter track team as well.

I picked Purdue because the education stood out to me. It had a lot of benefits. An education from Purdue will set me up for success beyond football. Coach Ron English has a lot of history coaching and he has a good background. He’s been a head coach before, and he’s put a lot of defensive backs in the NFL. That was really important for me. I’ll be in good hands and I wanted to feel confident with that.

— - Ethan Cole

Mondrell Dean - Fr.

Hurricane, WV (Hurricane HS)

6'3", 240 pounds

Running Back

2023 Projection: Possible redshirt

Dean is huge for a running back at 6'3" and 240 pounds. Does that mean he can see the field as a fullback early? That remains to be seen. He was the No. 2 prospect out of the state of West Virginia and also played defensive end, so his versatility is a big factor. He was all over the field as a senior as he rushed for 617 yards on 76 carries with 16 touchdowns while making 139 total tackles with 24 for a loss and 11 sacks on defense. He ended up winning the Huff award as the top defensive player in the state.

As it turns out, he is also pretty good at basketball. He averaged 15.1 points and 7.6 rebounds in playing for Hurricane HS. For now, he is slated to play running back at Purdue, but a switch to defensive end is always a possibility with his experience in high school.