Story No. 10: No. 26 recruiting class

It began on a cool October night in 2017. That’s when West Lafayette High School defensive end George Karlaftis announced that he was picking Purdue over the likes of Notre Dame, Ohio State and Michigan among myriad other offers from blue-blood programs.

“Purdue is home, it's family and we are going to do some big things in the coming years!” Karlaftis said that night at a West Lafayette High game.

Karlaftis was the first commitment in what turned out to be one of the most decorated Purdue classes in years. The four-star recruit served as a pied piper, helping woo other players in the following months. And the blue-chippers fell in line after Karlaftis made his pledge … players like wideouts David Bell, Mershawn Rice and Milton Wright, defensive tackle Steven Faucheux and safety Marvin Grant. All are four-star prospects in what ended up being a Purdue class ranked No. 26 in the nation by Rivals. It was the highest rated Purdue class since Joe Tiller inked the No. 20 class in 2004.

“George Karlaftis was a great addition for us,” Jeff Brohm said. “The fact that he got on board early for us was huge. It showed other people that he’s already bought in to what’s happening here, even before this season started. He was convinced. That goes a long way when you’re a guy that’s as highly ranked (No. 2 overall in the state and No. 14 in the nation at his position) as he is.”

The 26-man 2019 class also was noteworthy for landing four touted wideouts in Bell, Rice and Wright along with three-star TJ Sheffield—who at one time was committed to Notre Dame. Bell was considered the plum. The Indianapolis native was rated the top player in Indiana by Rivals and won Gatorade Player of the Year honors for the state. And he used the platform of the All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas, in early January to announce his commitment to Purdue on national television. It was a huge coup for the program, which saw Rondale Moore commit to Purdue at the same event a year earlier.

“It’s an important position (receiver)," said Brohm, whose 2017 class ranked No. 68 and his 2018 class No. 49. "Of course in our offense, we want to make sure we get guys who love football and want to make plays and want to do something special.”

Perhaps in four years, fans will look back at this class as being the group that pushes Purdue to new heights. No doubt, the 2019 class was a big highlight on the calendar and showed that Boilermaker football is pointed in the right direction after going to bowls in each of Brohm's first two seasons.

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