One of the biggest sports stories for Purdue in the 2018-19 academic year was the signing of the 2019 recruiting class.

The 26-man class was rated No. 26 in the nation by rivals.com, making it one of Purdue’s most lauded in a rivals.com era that dates to 2002. And a number of the 2019 newcomers should make an impact this fall.

“We are excited about the freshmen,” said Jeff Brohm, who is entering his third season. “Sometimes, you don’t want to put too much pressure on them.”

The talent parade begins on offense, where the positions most likely to get a boost from freshmen are receiver and running back.

“David Bell and quite a few of the receivers that we brought in, Mershawn Rice, TJ Sheffield, Milton Wright, are very good players for us,” said Brohm. “The tight ends (Garrett Miller and Kyle Bilodeau), maybe not right off the bat, they have a bright future here. I like the two young running backs (Da’Juon Hewitt and King Doerue) we have. I think they’ll be in the mix and one of them may emerge this year or both. But probably one of them to a certain degree.”

The defense also has lots of freshman star power, led by end George Karlaftis, who seems to be the freshman who is most likely to start in the season opener at Nevada on August 30. The defensive line needs help with generating a pass rush, especially on the edge. The other position where freshmen have a good chance to play on defense: The secondary.

“We are gonna see (end) Dontay Hunter and see what he’s gonna do, and (tackle) Steven Faucheux up front for sure,” said Brohm. I think (safety) Marvin Grant is a special player. (Safety) Jalen Graham, how he picks things up mentally (is impressive). (CB) Cameron Allen, he is kinda like Jalen Graham, he’s a former quarterback. It will take him a little while to get adjusted. We like his length and athleticism. We aren’t real deep at corner, so we have him at the corner position. He plays hard and he goes hard.”

There is even a freshman offensive lineman who could help in 2019.

“On the offensive line, we like our guys, but that takes a little longer,” said Brohm. “Spencer Holstege may be the farthest along because he was here in the spring. He may be able to help us to a certain degree. The others, it will take a little time. We like them.”

The bulk of the hype and excitement centers around Karlaftis and Bell, along with Graham who like Karlaftis was on campus for spring drills.

“I think George Karlaftis is an outstanding talent up front that came in, enrolled early, had a great spring for us,” said Brohm. “Was probably our best player on defense all spring.”

And then there’s Bell, the No. 1 rated player in Indiana by rivals.com in the Class of 2019.

"I do think we have some incoming freshmen that will see the field and will have to do a good job for us … David Bell at receiver I think is an outstanding talent that will possibly start for us ... (he) has a chance to be a special player,” said Brohm.

Brohm never has been shy about playing true freshmen. Schools are able to play freshmen in up to four games and still have them retain a redshirt. Play over four games, however, and a player has used a season of eligibility.

Last year, only three freshmen used a year of eligibility: WR Rondale Moore, LB Jaylan Alexander and DT Jeff Marks. In 2017, Purdue played five freshmen: LB Derrick Barnes, TE Darius Pittman, LB Tobias Larry, WR KeyRon Catlett and LB Cornel Jones. But this season, there could be double-digit freshmen who use a year of eligibility.

“So, a lot of guys could see the field, and they're going to have to, and they're going to have to be ready to play because we are going to be a little bit young,” said Brohm. “But I think they've worked hard to this point and they understand that we need those guys to step in and be ready to go. And while they're going to have to learn on the job a little bit, I do think they can improve and they'll be up to the challenge.”

Based on conversations with Jeff Brohm--along with GoldandBlack.com analysis--the following 16 freshmen appear most likely to use a year of eligibility this season:

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