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f o o t b a l l r e c r u i t i n g f e a t u r e : k e y a n t e g r e e n loyal to the end Green stays with Purdue through change BY KYLE CHARTERS KCharters@GoldandBlack.com Green looks the part. The McDonough, Ga., native is a 5-foot-9, 205 physical back who rushed for more than eyante Green couldn���t help but be 1,200 and 17 touchdowns as a senior, intrigued. helping Eagle���s Landing Christian to the During Purdue���s coaching transition Class A private school state championlate last year, his phone started to ring ship in the fall. more often, with schools trying to poach ���He���s probably ready for college him away from the Boilermakers. right now, with how big and strong he And why not? is,��� high school coach Jonathan Gess Green, a three-star Rivals.com runsaid. ���He���s a very physical player and ning back from Georgia, had switched is a student of the game; football comes before, going from an early UCLA comvery naturally to him. He understands mitment to Purdue, pledging to thenthings, the concepts behind things, and Boilermaker coach Danny Hope last sumI think that will really help him get on mer. So following Hope���s dismissal after the field and be somebody that Purdue the season, it was reasonable to think can depend on. Green would be open to another change. ���A lot of kids can run the football, but He did listen, entertaining inquiries can you do the other things? Can you from several West Coast programs, as catch the ball out of the backfield? Can well as Tennessee, his boyhood dream you block? Can you be an integral role school, and others. But ultimately, Green in the pass protection? That���s one of the eschewed them all, re-upping his comthings that sets Key beyond other runmitment with new Purdue coach Darrell ning backs.��� Hazell and signing on Feb. 6. Green���s had plenty of high school ���There was a lot of guys those last experience. Had Green not been hurt couple weeks trying to knock on his part of his junior season, Gess estimates door,��� Hazell said on national signing that he would have accumulated more day. ���That���s what���s so strong about the than 5,000 rushing yards and 500 tackles kid. He stayed committed to us and he �����as a linebacker ��� in four years. loves Purdue. ���He���s one of those guys who brings a ���I thought our staff did a good job physical presence to your room,��� Purdue of going down there and really creating running backs coach Jafar Williams said. and establishing a relationship with his ���I think at this position, in this confergrandmother, who was very vital in this ence, you can���t get enough of these type decision-making process for him.��� Clayton News Daily of guys. Guys who you can give the ball to Green credits Annie Bowles, his A three-star running back prospect, Keyante Green had plenty of offers, espeand they can take the pounding and they grandmother with whom he���s lived since cially after Purdue���s coaching change, but chose to stay with the Boilermakers. can deliver some blows. Nobody wants to the fourth grade, and his father, for tackle them. A really thick kid from head Jones offered Green, giving the running back a teaching him loyalty. He stayed patient to toe, and just a powerful player. through the transition, as he waited through the chance to play at the school he had grown up ador���He does have speed, too, but is just a physical unknown for a couple weeks in the late fall. But af- ing. That friend Cameron Sutton, a childhood friend player.��� ter meeting with Hazell during an in-home visit a in Georgia, had already committed to the Vols �����and Green might get a chance to play early. few weeks later, Green decided there was no reason was pulling on his buddy to join him ����� made the With Shavers and Bolden having departed, the lure all the more intriguing. to look elsewhere. Boilermakers could use a durable, physical runner ���It was pretty crazy, like a dream,��� said Green, ���My dad always told me I had to finish; it���s how in the backfield. who had first been offered by Tennessee as a high I am in drills and workouts and everything,��� Green ���Coach Williams told me that I have an opporschool freshman but chose not to commit so early. said. ���I make sure I have to finish everything. tunity to start as a freshman and be able to help ���Basically, it comes down to who can you trust ���But I was already committed to Purdue and love out our program,��� Green said. ���That���s what���s most and who can you not trust. It can help in the future, Coach Hazell and everything. I wouldn���t want to go to important to me, I want to help out the program. because it lets you know that I���m very truthful with a dream school and not like the coach, rather than go Anyway I can do that, I will do that. I���m not a person to a school where I can be with a coach who can build what I say and what I do. So you can trust me.��� that will whine and complain that I���m not starting But there were moments of hesitation. After me up as a man and just build me up spiritually.��� or anything, but if I can get on the field as a freshPurdue is more than happy to have him. The proButch Jones took the Volunteers coaching job, folman, I would love that. But I would do anything lowing flirtations with Purdue and Colorado, he gram, which is in need of runners after the gradu- basically.��� j decided he needed to add a running back to Ten- ation of its two top backs ��� Akeem Shavers and Ralph Bolden ����� after last season, gets a potential nessee���s 2013 class. workhorse. K 26 ��� Gold & Black IllustrateD ��� volume 23, issue 4 GBIprint.com GoldandBlack.com