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fo ot bal l : r ecr u itin g r o und up Quarterback Commitment Looming? BY GOLD AND BLACK STAFF offered Texas When Purdue Davidimmediquarterback Blough a scholarship in May, it ately vaulted the Boilermakers to the top of his list and to the brink of a commitment. That commitment might come soon, as the Carrollton Creekview High School QB expects to visit West Lafayette the weekend of June 14. Blough is a 6-foot-1, 190-pound QB who's already been named to the prestigious Elite 11, interestingly enough via a surprise invitation from former Boilermaker star Drew Brees made via Twitter. Blough could follow Brees' path to West Lafayette. "Purdue is on top of the list right now," Blough said. "Just that first school to take a chance on you, show faith. It means a lot to me. I'm interested to see who will come by with the Elite 11 stuff." Memphis has also offered Blough, while Rice, SMU, Baylor and other such regional schools have also shown interest in the Rivals.com three-star prospect. Brian Neubert Texas QB David Blough might become Purdue's next commitment after visiting West Lafayette in June. RECEIVER ALREADY ON BOARD Purdue's first 2014 commitment also came from Texas, as Dallas First Baptist Academy wide receiver Trae Hart's whirlwind recruitment resulted in a quick decision. When offensive coordinator John Shoop was in Dallas to see quarterback Max Partlo, he first noticed the 5-11, 155-pound Hart, whose speed jumped out to the Purdue coach. A week later, Purdue offered a player it hadn't even known about prior. "They watched my film and said my film was one of the best they've seen in the country," Hart said. "I already knew that whoever was going to give the chance first, I was going to go ahead and (commit). I was happy, my family was happy, everybody was happy. It was a good day." And so Hart committed to Purdue, sight unseen. He hopes to unofficially visit this summer to see what he's getting into, provided his commitment holds. "Me and my coach have already kind of talked about that, that there might be more schools (interested) now," Hart said. "But right now, I'm with Purdue. I'm committed to Purdue. That's where I am right now." SMU, Houston, Baylor and Hawaii had also shown interest in Hart, who said he consistently runs a 4.4 in the 40-yard dash. He used those wheels to catch 108 passes for 2,044 yards and 29 total touchdowns as a junior. "He does a great job as a receiver because he can go deep with his speed," First Baptist coach Jason Lovvorn said, "but he's also got those natural moves so that we can run a lot of screens with him, and he's able to take those to the house also. "Trae is all about speed." TRANSFERS ON PURDUE RADAR Purdue is interested in outgoing Pittsburgh transfers Chris and Demitrious Davis, both of them wide receivers who signed with the Panthers under former coach Todd Graham and are now leaving to find a better systematic fit, according to their father, Chris Davis Sr. Purdue coach Darrell Hazell recruited both Austintown, Ohio, natives while at Kent State and has been in communication with the family this month about the possibility of both players coming to the Boilermakers, where they would have to sit out the 2013 season as transfers before becoming eligible in 2014 with three seasons of eligibility remaining. The hang-up at this point for Purdue, Chris Davis Sr. said, is scholarship space. Hazell has told the family he must gauge attrition before offering scholarships, to make sure there are available openings. Tennessee, Ohio State, Indiana and a number of other schools have shown preliminary interest in the two brothers, also, but Chris Davis Sr. said the pre-existing relationship with Hazell and Purdue's presumed coaching stability under a new staff make it an attractive option. Both players were recruited by Purdue under its former staff, as well. j GoldanDBlack express • volume 23, express 30 • 22