With the Big Ten's 2020 football season having been postponed, GoldandBlack.com is rolling out a new feature each week that looks back at Purdue's recruiting classes dating to the start of the Joe Tiller era in 1997. It's a chance to examine how each group of signees fared as collegians ... and beyond.

Recruiting pundits didn't think much of Tiller's first class, with most ranking it last in the Big Ten. Tiller got a late start assembling the class after not taking over for Jim Colletto until December 1996 after coaching Wyoming in the WAC title game.

Tiller's cause also was hindered by the fact Colletto stripped the Purdue offices of any recruiting information after being hired as offensive coordinator at Notre Dame, putting Tiller further behind the eight ball during a 1997 season that saw three other Big Ten schools breaking in new coaches: Illinois' Ron Turner, Minnesota's Glen Mason and Indiana's Cam Cameron.

Bottom line: This collection of talent was put together on the fly but it was talented enough to set in motion a memorable 12-year run for Tiller that saw this 1997 class produce four bowls, including a Rose Bowl run in the 2000 season.