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It was only a little more than a year ago that Giovanni Reviere was a 220-pound tight end and defensive end for McCallie High School in Tennessee.

But the Purdue signee — he'll start as a defensive line prospect — has hit a growth spurt, gaining about 50 pounds in the last 12 months. And that development has Purdue increasingly excited about the possibilities.

"The first time I saw this young man I was working a camp in May of '16," first-year Purdue defensive line coach Reggie Johnson said at the Recruiting Roundup on signing day earlier this month. "He was raw, but he measured at 6-foot-4, about 240 pounds, and at that time, he looked about 210, 215, didn't look real big, didn't look 240.

"When he came on his visit two weeks ago, he measured at 6-5, 270 and looked about 250ish. He's going to be a massive young man. I'm excited to get an opportunity to coach him because he's big, he's athletic and I love his disposition. ... This is a young man I can work with."

Probably in part because Reviere's potential is untapped. McCallie coach Ralph Potter loves the physical tangibles, like that Reviere is 270 but carries the weight impressively and that he has a long reach. A former basketball player, Reviere has impressive athleticism, especially at his size.

"He didn’t play basketball this winter and that’s really helped him (in terms of growth)," Potter said. "He’s always been a football/basketball guy for us and it had kept his weight down a little bit. But you’ll have a guy in a couple years who is going to be 6-6 and at least 285-290, easily. And he’s going to be a really athletic big guy in that way. If he had been 270 going into his senior year, I think everybody in the country would be after him. But I think this kid has a chance to, as far as upside potential, be one of the best tackles in his age group.”

Interestingly, the "tackle" position Potter envisions is offensive, thinking Reviere could fit in well on the O-line. He played left tackle for McCallie during his senior year, after he had moved from tight end. But Reviere played defensive end, too, and Purdue will line him up on the D-line to start. Last season, he had three sacks.

“He could dominate just about anyone in front of him,” Potter said. “Not many people tried to attack. He’s a great pass rusher with that arm length and put a lot of pressure on the quarterback. But he plays with great leverage. He’s one of those guys who bends well, isn’t stiff at all, and so he was able to get up under a lot of offensive lineman.”

Reviere, a two-star Rivals.com prospect, committed to Purdue on Christmas Eve, after he had received an offer that caused him to flip from Western Kentucky. Had other smaller-school offers.

Ideally, Purdue would like to be able to redshirt Reviere, allowing him a bit more time to adjust to his maturing body.

Does Purdue have that luxury?

Probably.

It needs at least four interior defensive linemen, with Eddy Wilson and Lorenzo Neal the expected starters, provided Neal comes back from injury. Others will be in the mix as reserves, like Alex Criddle and Anthony Watts, both second-year players, plus a few others who could be options. Maybe Reviere fits in that group too, but Purdue doesn't want to have to rush him onto the field.

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