Purdue's 2018 (early) signing class targeted toward key areas
More: Brohm has 'positive' experience with new signing period; more | Purdue signee thumbnails
Analysis ($): Takeaways | Final thoughts
Jeff Brohm says he and his staff didn't necessarily recruit their 2018 class— or at least the overwhelming percentage of it that signed on Wednesday — with an eye squarely on instant-impact potential.
But in the context of it being this staff's first full recruiting class, its first real in-depth evaluation process, its first class assembled over a meaningful amount of time, it stands to reason to suggest this will be an important group in both the short and long terms.
And take into account roster turnover, emerging needs and staff- and system-specific preference, that amplifies it.
"All of these young men will get as many repetitions as our starters when they get here," Brohm said Wednesday evening, after adding 22 recruits during the new early signing period, "and we'll see where they're at and go from there."
Certain positions stand out and were recruited to accordingly.
Wide receiver, for one.
Not just because of the complexion of Purdue's roster — the Boilermakers struggled at a position decimated by graduation following 2016 before closing the season well — but because of the importance of the position to the program's long-term outlook.
Brohm's calling card is offense.
The better the pieces, the better the playbook.
"Do we want to always want to continue add dynamic playmakers? Yes we do," Brohm said. "I think we did a decent job addressing that and that's always going to be a spot we strive to get playmakers who love playing football and can change the course of a game for us."
Purdue hopes it's found some in signees Amad Anderson, Kory Taylor and Jordan Bonner and will find another in prospective "late" signee Rondale Moore, the former Texas commitment who re-opened on Tuesday and now will announce his next move Jan. 6, with Purdue being a prime option.
The receivers, however many of them end up signing, could factor meaningfully into next season.
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The offensive line could loom even larger, but not right away.
Purdue recruited four offensive linemen, to a template that favors athleticism over bulk. Brohm and Co. believe tackles Jimmy McKenna, Will Bramel and Eric Miller and interior lineman Charles Allen fit that bill.
"This class of offensive linemen is very athletic and that's what we wanted," Brohm said, adding specifically that he'd like to find "three-year starters" out of that group.
"We want to over-recruit both lines, the offensive line and defensive line and make sure we get enough guys in there to compete and fight and get in there and do a good job for us."
On the defensive side, six signees join the program, including several physically advanced defensive ends who look the part now, but could play different parts in time, conceivably, if they grow into defensive tackles or something else.
Physical development across the board will guide the future on both lines.
For Purdue's five defensive back signees, the future might be now.
"They're pretty far along, probably a little further along than some of the positions as far as what they look like, the weight they're at," Brohm said. "I think they'll definitely come in and compete for spots, add to the competition, and it wouldn't surprise me if some of these guys are ready to (play)."
The common denominator among Cory Trice, Elijah Ball, Byron Perkins, Jordan Rucker and Kadin Smith: They're all either really tall and really long or physically well-developed other, all 6-plus-footers who'll be well built walking in the door.
"We were looking for some good size in the back end (defensively)," Brohm said. "Nowadays you want to be able to play a nice mix of man and zone, be able to do both and mix things up.
"When you get guys with prototypical body length, it helps make their job easier, because of the ability to recover if you get beat or to have the size and strength to have the range to make plays, that's always vital, and I like the crew we got."
With 22 signees in tow, Purdue's not done recruiting for 2018.
"We have some room to wiggle and we always want that," Brohm said.
In addition to using the newly structured January to move forward with the 2019 class and beyond, Purdue will keep recruiting key targets — Moore, who Brohm couldn't mention Wednesday due to NCAA rules on such things — and could look for older additions via the grad-transfer market or pursue any other sort of opportunity that could arise at key areas of need.
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