Commitment brings versatility

Athlete John Strauser committed to Purdue Monday, giving the Boilermakers their fourth known Class of 2013 pledge.

"I just had a good feeling when I was on campus there," Strauser said. "I liked the Big Ten feel there, and they have a solid coaching staff, solid players and there was just a good feel about it. It was just a gut instinct that I had that it was a good fit.

"I've slept on it a couple days now, knowing I'm going to Purdue .And I've liked it."

The 6-foot-4, 240-pounder will initially project as a defensive end, but linebacker, defensive tackle and maybe even tight end all seem to be on the table as potential college positions as well.

"They're looking at defensive end," Strauser said, "but we'll get a hard set position when I start playing. We'll get that figured out. Right now, I feel like D-end is where we're going. But I don't know if it's set in stone yet."

From St. Thomas More High School in Champaign, Ill., Strauser had narrowed his choices to just Purdue and Pittsburgh, where head coach Paul Chryst is his uncle.

"Purdue just ended up being a better fit," Strauser said. "It just came down to me getting a better feel there."

Other offers came from Illinois, Northern Illinois and Army.

But after an unofficial visit earlier this month, Strauser said he felt Purdue was the place for him.

"Coach (Danny) Hope was really happy," Strauser said. "He even said, 'Hallelujah.' Everyone was excited and that's great. You don't want to go somewhere they're not excited about you and you don't want to go someplace you're not excited about. Everyone's excited and everyone's pumped up. Let's go Boilermakers."

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