Nalin Fox's prep coach: 'I think he's a Big Ten talent'

Purdue's Class of 2020 grew by one on Sunday when offensive tackle Nalin Fox committed to the Boilermakers.

The 6-5, 267-pound Fox was committed to Toledo, but he flipped to Purdue after a short courtship. Fox is the fourth offensive line commitment in the Class of 2020, joining Gus Hartwig, Jared Bycznski and Josh Kaltenberger.

Fox plays for Notre Dame Prep in Pontiac, Mich., a private coed institution which has an enrollment of 750 and is a Division 4 school in an eight-division football classification system in Michigan. Notre Dame Prep is in the midst of a good season, boasting a 6-1 mark this year. Current Purdue volleyball freshman outside hitter Maddy Chinn is a product of Notre Dame Prep.

Fox has started for the 2.5 years for Notre Dame Prep and projects as a left tackle, according to his head coach Pat Fox.

"No relation," said Pat Fox, who is in his sixth year at Notre Dame Prep and his 32nd as a head coach. "I am 5-9 and fat. He is tall and athletic."

GoldandBlack.com caught up with Pat Fox to get the low-down on the Boilermakers' 19th commitment in the Class of 2020.

GoldandBlack.com: What type of player is Purdue getting?

Fox: He is an athletic 6-6, 275-pound left tackle. He is good in pass protection. He’s long. He’s a late-bloomer. He only weighed 240 pounds as a junior. He’s very athletic. He’s a basketball-type kid.

GoldandBlack.com: What are his strengths?

Fox: Pass protection is his strength. He’s very athletic. He’s a solid run blocker. He’s tremendous in the weight room.

GoldandBlack.com: What does he need to improve?

Fox: I think he has to continue to develop his strength. He has to get a little bigger. Nice size for me. Tiny at Purdue at 275. I think he’ll probably come in at 285 next year.

GoldandBlack.com: Do you think Nalin will graduate early and arrive for spring ball?

Fox: We don’t do that at our school. I don’t think we ever have done that.

GoldandBlack.com: Does he play any defense?

Fox: He plays some defensive end at times.

GoldandBlack.com: Does he play basketball?

Fox: He didn’t play last year because he wanted to put on some weight. I think he’ll play this year, is what I heard.

GoldandBlack.com: What did you think of him flipping his commitment from Toledo to Purdue?

Fox: I thought Nalin when his film came out as a senior there would be a lot of schools jump in. His junior film was OK. But his senior film was outstanding; 6-6, 270 and athletic doesn’t grow on trees.

GoldandBlack.com: Who else was interested in Nalin?

Fox: He got offered by CMU (Central Michigan), and EMU (Eastern Michigan) was in for a while. He wanted to play in the Big Ten. That was his goal. In our school, academics are huge and Purdue is an elite academic school. For him, it’s like the jackpot. In our community, Purdue is the jack pot. World-class academics. Michigan State continued to recruit him in the whole process. I think every kid fits every system a bit different. I think he’s an outstanding fit at Purdue. I think he’s a Big Ten talent.

GoldandBlack.com: What type of student is he?

Fox: He is a 3.2 student. Academically, we are the No. 1 rated academic Catholic school in Michigan, four of the last five years. We are tough academically. The rigors are tremendous.

GoldandBlack.com: Does your school have any current players playing college football?

Fox: Three in Big Ten now. Left offensive tackle at Minnesota Kyle Sassack, a preferred walk-on quarterback at Michigan State Eli McLean. A linebacker at Columbia Luke Adams.

GoldandBlack.com: What type of family does he come from?

Fox: Good parents, great family. Couldn’t believe he got a scholarship. All of sudden, you aren’t paying for college. They were fired up. It was a shock. He has a little brother who plays JV football for us. Looks like Nalin did as ninth grader.

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