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16 IllustrateD volume 24, issue 4 f sition at the college level should benefit his devel- opment. "I think I became more relaxed in my game," Dale said of playing cor- nerback his senior sea- son. "I definitely changed over the season. At the beginning of the sea- son, I wasn't breaking on many simple routes, like the five-yard out I should have been breaking on. I just wasn't seeing that type of stuff while I was on the field. Toward the end of the season, I be- came more of a lock-down corner. I wouldn't say I perfected the position, but I got way, way better than I was. A lot of it came with simple mistakes. "I sat down and watched a lot of film on my own, figured out ways I could get better. I tried my best to do it in practice, and my coaches would help me. That's how I really grew as a corner. I love the position." For more on Dale and other DB commitments, see Pages 24-25. TRAE HART Wide Receiver Looking for some speed at wide receiver, Purdue found Trae Hart quickly and acted even quicker. Shoop found Hart while in Dallas to scout Blough and other quar- terbacks and was struck by the wide receiver's speed. An offer quickly fol- lowed; a commitment followed even quicker from the 5-11, 160-some- thing-pound wide re- ceiver. "They really think I can be a good punt return- er and kick returner for them," Hart said. "And on offense, they think I can do a lot of differ- ent things, make a lot of plays downfield." Hart, who was also re- cruited by Baylor, SMU, Langston Newton transferred to Purdue in the offseason, wanting to be closer to his ailing grandfather in their hometown of Indianapolis. And the defensive end wanted to be able to play immediately, not forfetting a season of eligibility due to his trans- fer. The NCAA granted his wish, declar- ing that the former Kentucky Wildcat will be eligible to play right away. "Today has been a great day. Truly feeling blessed," he tweeted after the release of the news on Feb. 11. Newton, who will have three years of eligibility at Purdue, didn't play in a game during his tenure at Kentucky, redshirting his first season, then be- ing part of the scout team in the sec- ond. But Purdue defensive line coach Rubin Carter says he likes Newton's traits. "Not only does he do well in his area of responsibility, he can factor down the field and chase and pursue all the way to the opposite sideline," Carter said on signing day Feb. 5. Newton, a 6-foot-4, 260-pounder, was a three-star Rivals.com recruit out of Carmel High School in 2012. He chose Kentucky over Purdue and multiple others then. "I'm excited to be here," Newton said on signing day, when he spoke with mid-year en- rollees Kirk Barron and David Blough. "I really just want the football season to come. I really want spring to start. I'm really excited to be with these guys." — Gold and Black Staff George Sinnis Purdue likes Langston Newton's ability to make plays from sideline-to-sideline. He'll be eligible to play for the Boiler- makers in 2014, following his transfer. NEWTON TRANSFERS IN, GAINS IMMEDIATE ELIGIBILITY