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30 IllustrateD volume 24, issue 4 f 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 : t h e o f f e n s i v e l i n e BY KYLE CHARTERS KCharters@GoldandBlack.com W hen Purdue was recruit- ing junior college offen- sive lineman Corey Clements this winter, it told him that it was in need of mature, more physically ready tackles. And with good reason; the Boilermakers are searching for answers at left and right tackle, where they have no ex- perienced options, for the 2014 season, a storyline that will likely continue well into fall's training camp. Purdue might not have used the word desperate, but the characterization was implied. "From a scale of 1 to 10, it was a 10," said the 22-year-old sophomore at Mesa Commu- nity College in Arizona. "They said they were losing two tack- les; it wasn't so much that I was from a junior college, it was that I'm an older (player). "I'll be able to hold my own earlier. I feel like that's a big factor in everything." The Boilermakers, however, could have used more than one. In his pursuit of older, more ex- perienced tackles, Coach Darrell Hazell was looking to recruit a pair from the junior college ranks in the 2014 class. And for a brief moment, it appeared as though he had hit his target. In late January, less than a week before the Feb. 5 signing day, Purdue landed a commitment from Miguel Machado, a highly sought-after prospect from Pasade- na Community College. Two days later, Clements committed, bringing his 6-foot-8, 380-pound body to West Lafayette; at the least, the duo would bring depth to the Boil- ermakers' offensive line, which will have only 10 bodies in the spring, and perhaps even more. They'd be given every opportunity to earn starting jobs. But Machado, whose commitment was prob- ably loose at best all along, made a sign- ing-day switch. When a spot opened up at Michi- gan State, where Macha- do had also visited in the last week prior to sign- ing day, he signed with the Spartans. Purdue had a close miss on a third JUCO tackle, too, making the final two for A.J. Allen, who chose in late Janu- ary to go to Kansas State, a program that has had huge success in the Bill Snyder Eras with trans- fers. So Purdue ended its offensive line class with four, including tackles Clements, who chose Purdue over South Florida, UAB and North Texas, and freshman Bearooz Yacoobi. The 6-5, 280-pound Yacoobi will ar- rive in the summer, like Clements, although asking a rookie to step in from Day 1 at a position where physical Overhaul On The Line Offensive line class includes hits, misses Mesa Community College Junior college transfer Corey Clements, a 6-foot-8, 380-pounder, will get an opportunity to start right away at Purdue, where the Boilers have a need at tackle.