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p r e s e n t s f o o t b a l l r e c r u i t i n g Meet The Class Of 2013 MATT BURKE Tight End ��� 6-6, 220 T he lone tight end in Purdue���s recruiting class, the U.S. Army All-America Game selection from West Palm Beach, Fla., became the Boilermaker coaching staff���s top target at the position as soon as Darrell Hazell came on board. The towering 6-foot-6, 220-pound Cardinal Newman High School standout became a popular recruit during the winter as a slew of staffs in transition targeted him as one of the better remaining tight ends nationally. The Rivals.com three-star prospect wound up choosing Purdue over Boise State, San Diego State and the Ivy League interest his academic credentials drew, but also late involvement from Cincinnati, Colorado, Wisconsin and many others. At this stage of his career, Burke is considered more of a receiver, to the point where Purdue coaches talked of his ability to line up in the slot. ���One of the first things you���re going to notice about him is that this guy is unusually athletic for a guy who is 6-foot-6, 220-some pounds,��� offensive coordinator John Shoop said. ���He also comes off with a flat back (in blocking). He can play the H-back, be in motion, do different things or have his hand on the ball. ������ He���s got a really flexible torso and can bend a lot of different ways and also has really quick hands to shoot to the ball. Kind of like the tongue of a lizard going to get an insect or something, which is what tight ends really need.��� In a run-driven offense at Cardinal Newman, Burke caught 29 passes as a senior this past season. ���I see myself as more of a receiving tight end,��� he said. ���I used to not enjoy blocking very much, but I���ve come to (realize) that other than scoring a touchdown, there���s nothing that feels better than getting a good pancake block. I���m more of a receiving tight end, but I���m pretty close to being well balanced, I���d say.��� KEITH BYARS II Running Back ��� 5-10, 200 H azell���s ties to Ohio State, where he was an assistant coach for seven seasons, run deep. He undoubtedly leveraged those past ties in adding the Buckeye legacy to his first Purdue recruiting class. Byars II is the son of former Buckeye star and longtime NFL fullback Keith Byars. The younger of the two Byars might appear to be the ultimate potential steal, as Purdue was really the lone school to recruit him out of Milford Academy, a prep school in New York where the running back missed most of his post-graduate 14 ��� Gold & Black IllustrateD ��� volume 23, issue 4 Keith Byars II went overlooked out of Milford Academy and Boca Raton High School, but if bloodlines hold true, he could be a recruiting steal. season due to injury. Out of Boca Raton High School in Florida, though, in 2012, Byars II claimed multiple notable scholarship offers. ���I was indecisive about choosing a school and I fell through the cracks,��� Byars II said. ���I went to prep school for another year of exposure and also to bring my grades up higher.��� Due to the injuries in prep school ��� Milford���s statistics show him as playing in only a handful of games ��� Byars II fell off the map altogether, making him especially grateful when Purdue offered a scholarship the Sunday prior to signing day. In Byars II, Purdue gets a 5-10, 200-pound ball-carrier it considers an aggressive presence. ���The thing that stands out to me about Keith is his ability to play physical,��� running backs coach Jafar Williams said. ���If you watch him, this guy plays extremely physical, but he also can put his foot in the ground and not change speed. ���He just makes cuts and goes, from 0 to 60 in about a second. He plays with a lot of energy, a high-motor kid.��� LEROY CLARK Defensive Back ��� 5-10, 175 P erhaps the most interesting commitment of the recruiting season came from the defensive back from Archbishop Carroll in Miami, as Clark committed to the Boilermakers more or less when the program was between coaches. Clark committed to Purdue Dec. 7, just two days after Hazell���s hiring was made official and before the new coach was even cleared to recruit on the Boilermakers��� behalf. But the 5-10, 175-pounder had been sold on Purdue long before, after GBIprint.com GoldandBlack.com