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44 IllustrateD volume 24, issue 5 f BY BRIAN NEUBERT BNeubert@GoldandBlack.com A fter a year spent simply getting caught up, Purdue should be pret- ty well established in recruiting now under its new coaching staff. The challenge for any rebuilding program: Generate buzz and win both hearts and minds. That's what Purdue is trying to do by any means necessary, while not com- promising the substance it wants to be the crux of its appeal. It's a delicate balance, between the superficialities needed to catch teenag- ers' eyes and the more important con- siderations like academics and person- al relationships, the foundation of what Purdue's selling. "I think it's very difficult, one of the most difficult things to balance as a re- cruiting coach and for all of us because you want to make sure what you're selling is the same thing your actions are doing," said Gerad Parker, Pur- due's recruiting coordinator. "We want to stay upbeat and stay up with what kids are doing and keep on point and be competitive, but I don't think, from Coach (Darrell) Ha- zell on down, we would ever go over the line so much that someone would say, 'Oh goodness, it's all over-sell' and we don't want to be attached to that. … We want to tell kids, 'Hey we're cool too,' but at the same time we don't want to give the feeling of being that used car salesman. We're in sales, but we certainly don't want them to leave and say, 'He probably says that to everyone,' or to have that feeling of not knowing what we truly are as a staff. I think we're pretty transparent, but I think about it all the time: How close do we get? You want somebody to leave here knowing that we sell Purdue but are sincere, and that what we're selling is what it will be even after sign- ing day. A lot of people see the integrity of the staff and of the program, and know that's what it will be after signing day, that we're not different guys out there on that field, and that's important to sell." Again, Purdue's message has centered on matters of substance. "It was just that you have to get through the window dressing of what every school has, the good facilities and things like that," said linebacker and four-star Rivals.com recruit Reagan Williams after visiting Purdue in March. "They told me that it comes down to relationships and re- ally establishing and building that and seeing how you fit in at a university. They said they can really see me there and like what I can do. Their selling point was really about building relationships." It's a wholesome message, but one Purdue can't deliv- er until it earns an audience. To do that, it's tried to find ways to set itself apart. To do that, it's turned to the visual. It's had customized posters made to send to recruits Style And Substance 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 Coaches farther ahead in recruiting now than last year Tom Campbell Darrell Hazell and his staff have more than a year now in the books recruiting at Purdue. The transition period is not over, but the Boilermakers are on much more solid ground now.