The 2021 recruiting cycle was unprecedented, to say the least. Of the 15 commitments Purdue had, 13 committed after the world shut down due to the COVID 19 pandemic in early March. That made things extremely difficult for all schools, and after two top 30 classes in 2020 and 2019, the 2021 class really suffered.

At 15 commitments it was easily Jeff Brohm’s smallest class. Sometimes you can’t help that, as you can only recruit based on the scholarships available at the time and Purdue’s roster was loaded up after two very good classes. Still, it was a small class, that wasn’t highly rated, and that suffered significant attrition over the last few years. Looking back, it can be a partial explanation of Purdue’s 2023 struggles. This is the class that should be coming into its own right now as the heart of the roster, but its current contributions are limited.

It should also be noted that this is the first class that will not have the ability to add a year of eligibility due to the COVID rules.