MORE RECRUITING REWINDS: 1997
Joe Tiller’s second recruiting class was hailed by Gold & Black as “the best recruiting class since Mollenkopf.” A big statement for a program coming off a 9-3 season and its first bowl since 1984.
Gold & Black wasn’t the only outlet impressed. Tom Lemming ranked Purdue’s class No. 2 in the Big Ten behind only Michigan.
“This is Purdue’s best class in 30 years, without a doubt,” said Lemming. “It’s the class that’s going to get Purdue into the next century at the top of the Big Ten.”
Tiller and Co., signed seven players from Indiana and five from Texas, which would be a fruitful state for Tiller during his career. The 27-man class was led by six running backs, four receivers and four offensive linemen.
It’s also worth noting that Purdue signed seven JC transfers—five of whom arrived in time for spring ball. The program had just 71 scholarship players in 1997, so Tiller wanted to balance out the sophomore and junior classes with JCs.
WR Randall Lane turned out to be the best of the bunch after arriving from Valley JC in Los Angeles. The Chicago native led Purdue in receiving in 1998, making 67 catches for 940 yards and seven TDs. The 6-1, 205-pound Lane is still No. 20 all-time at Purdue in catches (119) and yards (1,630) despite playing just two seasons in West Lafayette. He was rated the No. 5 JC in the nation by SuperPrep and also had offers from Illinois, Kansas, Iowa State, Colorado State and San Diego State.
Highest ranked offensive signee: WR A.T. Simpson. Purdue needed stud receivers to make Tiller’s “basketball on grass” offense go. And Simpson was the first touted wideout to sign on. The 6-5, 200-pound Simpson chose the Boilermakers over Michigan State, Kentucky, Ohio State, Indiana and Michigan, among others. Alas, the product of Cathedral High in Indianapolis never became a No. 1 option for Purdue. He finished his career with 50 catches for 491 yards (9.8 ypc) and three TDs.
Most productive offensive signee: RB Montrell Lowe. The diminutive (5-9) product of LaPorte, Texas, chose Purdue over Baylor, Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma. He led the Boilermakers in rushing each season from 1999-2001. He just missed a 1,000-yard season (998 yards) in 2000 during Purdue’s run to the Rose Bowl. Lowe is still No. 5 on Purdue’s all-time rushing list with 2,648 yards.
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Highest ranked defensive signee: LB Joe Odom. The 6-1, 210-pound Odom was named the St. Louis Player of the Year by the Post-Dispatch after starring at Civic Memorial High in Bethalto, Ill. Odom was a speedy linebacker with strength who was a sixth-round pick by the Bears in 2003 and played four years in the NFL.
Most productive defensive signee: Odom. He was a three-year starter, helping Purdue to bowls each season he was on campus. Odom was a captain as a senior in 2002 who picked the Boilermakers over Iowa, Northwestern, Illinois and Kansas.
Didn’t blossom: TE Doyal Butler. The 6-4, 220-pound Butler was rated the No. 8 tight end in the nation by SuperPrep. And the product of Sabino High in Tucson, Ariz., picked the Boilermakers over the likes of Arizona State, Miami (Fla.), Cal and USC. So, he was kind of a big deal. But it never panned out for Butler in West Lafayette and he ended up transferring to Mesa (Ariz.) CC and signing with USC in 2000 where he was a lightly used player.
Most underrated: OL Gene Mruczkowski. A burly blocker from St. Benedictine High in Cleveland, Mruczkowski arrived with little fanfare after picking Purdue over the likes of West Virginia, Syracuse and Cincinnati after bigger schools felt the 6-3 Mruczkowski lacked height. But he became a key member of some of the best offensive lines the Boilermakers have had in the last 50 years, helping the program win the Big Ten and reach the Rose Bowl in the 2000 season.
Highest NFL Draft pick: K/P Travis Dorsch. You could write a book about his Purdue career, which caused great joy and moments of angst. The 6-6, 200-pound Dorsch was a USA Today first-team All-American who hailed from of all places Bozeman, Mont. His offers included Nebraska, Colorado, Notre Dame and Stanford. He brought a monster leg to West Lafayette, earning consensus All-American honors and winning the Ray Guy Award as the nation’s top punter in 2001 as a senior. He even found time to play baseball. Dorsch set school standards for career points (355), field goals (69) and punting average (48.4). He was a fourth-round pick by the Bengals in the 2002 NFL Draft, and spent time with the Packers and Vikings before pursing a career in academia.
The one that got away: Rylan Hainje. Purdue envisioned the 6-6 Indianapolis Cathedral product as a tight end in Tiller’s offense. Alas, Hainje opted to play basketball at Butler. And he excelled as a four-year starter. Hainje was the Horizon League Player of the Year as a senior in 2001-02, when he averaged 15.2 points and 6.0 rebounds and led the Bulldogs to their first win at Purdue since the 1953-54 season. Hainje went on to play professionally in Europe after averaging 10.9 points and 5.2 rebounds in his Butler career.
Who played in the NFL? P Travis Dorsch; OL Gene Mruczkowski; LB Joe Odom; TE Pete Lougheed
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