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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 Getting Established THE FIRST FIVE Purdue picked up five early verbal commitments for its Class of 2014 this spring and summer. Here's a look at the first five Boilermakers-to-be from the rising high school senior class. Kirk Barron: The in-state offensive lineman impressed Boilermaker coaches with his power and tenacity at camp this summer, earning an offer he accepted immediately. Barron isn't the bigger, longest or most athletic lineman, but Purdue was sold on his intangibles as much as anything else. He was recruited to play center. David Blough: The first quarterback named to the prestigious Elite 11, the Texan is an accurate thrower with a strong-enough arm who passes well outside the pocket and is athletic enough to be a multi-faceted threat. He is universally lauded by those around him for his intelligence and leadership quotient. Trae Hart: When Purdue offensive coordinator John Shoop visited Dallas in the spring to look at a QB prospect, he discovered Hart, a small, but very fast, wide receiver prospect. Hart was offered shortly thereafter and immediately accepted. He caught more than 100 passes as a junior, totalling nearly 30 touchdowns and more than 2,000 yards. Gregory Phillips: Purdue offered the Atlanta area wide receiver at the start of June and he immediately jumped on it just as other offers might have started to come in. Like Hart, he's not the biggest receiver, but is fast and could probably play on either side of the ball if that ever becomes a consideration. Denzel Ward: A significant early recruiting victory for Purdue's new staff, the massive offensive tackle from Chicago chose the Boilermakers over fellow finalists Florida, Ohio State and Oklahoma after previously being committed to Michigan. He's a very athletic and mobile 6-foot-9 player and a very lean 315 pounds, suggesting that someday soon, he'll be gigantic. — Brian Neubert GBIprint.com GoldandBlack.com New Boilermaker staff starts strong in 2014 class Brian Neubert David Blough's early commitment to Purdue gave the program its third Elite 11 quarterback recruit in as many years. BY BRIAN NEUBERT BNeubert@GoldandBlack.com D arrell Hazell's first full Purdue recruiting class is in the works and beginning to fill up after a run of summertime commitments. The biggest of them to date: Offensive tackle Denzel Ward. The Chicago native gave Purdue a key addition and welcomed dose of buzz in late June when he committed to the Boilermakers over legitimate offers from Florida, Ohio State and Oklahoma, after being previGold and Black IllustrateD • volume 23, issue 6 • 69