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10 IllustrateD volume 24, issue 4 f began. "I'm confident they'll turn the program around and I've seen it," Robinson said. "You can see it in the players there now. It's what they talk about. They had a rebuilding season this year and struggles, but it's just part of it, a phase. I believe it will all go up from here." There's no telling where the Class of 2014 will con- tribute most right away, but the two linebackers are cer- tain to get a long look come training camp. "When we were going out looking for linebackers, we wanted two guys who were physically ready to play and love the game of football," Freeman said. "Those were the two things we talked about and I think we found those two guys." The glaring position of need was the offensive line, where Purdue wanted two junior college offensive tack- les, a position where Hazell admitted there's a "definite deficiency" on the existing roster. But the Boilermakers saw their top two targets, A.J. Allen (Kansas State) and Machado, head elsewhere. Corey Clements, a mountainous 6-foot-8, 380-pounder, joins Purdue from the JUCO ranks as part of a lineman haul that also includes high school signees Kirk Bar- ron (center), Martesse Patterson (projected guard) and Bearooz Yacoobi (tackle). The secondary was also a pressing need, not only for numbers, but for aggressive, physical players. "The one thing with spread offenses and the things you see today is that all 11 have to be able to tackle," defensive coordinator Greg Hudson said. "The theory of the 'cover corner' really doesn't exist. They have to be able to cover, but they have to be able to tackle. It's an occupational hazard, but all these (signees) can do it." Purdue had six defensive backs committed at one time, but wound up signing four: safety Juan Jenkins and cornerbacks Tim Cason, Cedric Dale and Brandon Roberts. It's a group that, to a man, says it's highly motivated. "We've got to get it done," said Dale, who committed to Purdue as a DB after being committed to BYU as a running back. "I believe if you're going to talk about it, then you've got to be about it. I'm real excited, especial- ly just knowing the type of teammates I have. Everyone is just hungry. I feel like the food is there, all we have to do eat it." Purdue needed a punter to replace the graduated Cody Webster and signed Arkansas' Austin McGehee. The defensive line, where Purdue's prototype might have changed some as the season went on as it intro- duced different alignments, saw its ranks bolstered with the additions of tackle/end Keiwan Jones and end Will Colmery, as well as Newton's move into the program. In addition to Blough and the offensive linemen, the Boilermaker offense added two wide receivers in Gregory Phillips and Trae Hart; a running back, Dexter Knox; and a tight end, Cole Herdman. It's a class short on star-power, or so initial external opinions that generally rank it near the bottom of the Big Ten suggest. But it's a group Hazell hopes will prove such opin- ions wrong and turn out to be rich with both talent and substance. "When you think about the game of football," Barron said, "you think of toughness and leadership, because obviously you have to be tough to play a physical game like it, and then from the leadership aspect, you need 11 guys working as one. "I think this group brings those things to this team and it'll show." j Brian Kapur Purdue got a big commitment in December, when physical linebacker Ja'Whaun Bentley picked the Boilermakers over other BCS offers.