32
ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 24, ISSUE 6
f
BY STACY CLARDIE
SClardie@GoldandBlack.com
S
peed piqued their attention.
Competition fueled growth.
A shared mindset fostered support.
Encouragement cemented a friendship.
Unbreakable trust forged a brotherhood.
Now, after nearly four years of challenging each other
to strive for ultimate heights and building an inexplicable
bond, best friends Akeem Hunt and Raheem Mostert are
reaching the end of their Purdue journey.
And they see only one way to finish it: Producing as ex-
pected key pieces to Purdue's offense in 2014.
They're insistent about the impact they can have in new
roles, in performing as playmakers and game-changers, to
push the program back into a direction of prominence.
They're optimistic about the chance of "greatness" for
the Boilermakers, fueled by strong leadership, talent lit-
tered across the field and coaches who believe in them.
They speak with confidence about it all, the season's
prospects, the parts that surround them in John Shoop's
system and, of course, each other.
They rave about each other.
"When I find somebody who has the same mindset as
me and trying to accomplish the same goals I'm trying to
accomplish, that makes me one of them and that makes
them one of me. I feel like we bonded really well," Hunt
said. "We were talking before we even met each other.
Then we met each other, and it was even better. Because
we saw in each other's faces and we could tell each other
was serious.
"It just felt like family when we first met."
BUILDING A BOND
They initially connected over Facebook and decided to
meet up for, really, one reason: "We knew each other was
fast," Hunt said.
F O O T B A L L P L A Y E R F E A T U R E : A K E E M H U N T A N D R A H E E M M O S T E R T
Brotherhood
Bond formed
quickly for
running back duo
Tom Campbell
Akeem Hunt, left, and Raheem Mostert felt a quick connec-
tion and have only strengthened their bond over nearly four
years as teammates.
