Visit puts Purdue in the thick of the hunt for four-star offensive lineman
The litany of high-profile, highly recruited Class of 2020 prospects coming through West Lafayette this winter continued this weekend, with a visit from East Coast offensive lineman Chris Mayo.
The Philadelphia native and Rivals.com four-star prospect visited Friday through Saturday morning.
"I already knew Purdue was a great school, like a place where if I didn't play football, I'd apply to Purdue," Mayo said. "But seeing the new complex, it's amazing, brand-new and impressive.
"I really like Purdue because they have my major and it's a very good academic school, and the football program is on the way up, with a lot of good recruits. It's going up, and it makes me feel good to know they want me to be a part of that."
As aspiring African-American History major, Mayo is a very good student, and academics will play an important role in his decision, he said. He attends the Peddie School, a prep school in South Jersey.
"Purdue told me they're really heavy on how they try to recruit a certain type of person," Mayo said, "that they want good people who care about academics and also care the same amount about football."
That was part of head coach Jeff Brohm's message when he met with Mayo prior to his departure Saturday.
"He told me he's trying to change what Purdue was," Mayo said, "and that he just wants high-quality guys who are good at football but also care about academics and want to be part of the community. He said he'd want me to enjoy the college experience, because not a lot of places let you do that."
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The 6-foot-5, 300-pound Mayo fits the blueprint of an offensive guard nicely, but may present some options.
"They like that I can play guard or tackle, that I have versatility," he said. "They like that I'm quick on my feet, but also big and powerful. They think that if I were to commit there, I could step in from Day 1 and help make the program better."
Mayo has fielded a slew of nationwide offers — Minnesota and Indiana joined in this weekend — but listed Purdue, West Virginia, Kentucky and Nebraska as four he hears most from.
Boilermaker coaches told him they'd like to get him back for another visit, perhaps a summer official.
"They're high on my list," Mayo said of Purdue. "I like Purdue a lot. It's a very good program. I love the coaching staff and all the people there. I love everything Purdue is. It's very blue-collar and that's how I grew up. My parents are blue-collar people. I see a lot of myself in Purdue."
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