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70 ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 24, ISSUE 6 f But even in a period of transition in that sense, Purdue showed some signs of a different recruiting machine these past few months. The number of visitors who came through West Lafayette in the winter and spring — and now into the sum- mer — may not be all that unlike last year in quantity, but has trumped it in quality, with more A-list sort of pros- pects passing through campus, a clear indicator of interest. Purdue got virtually all its top in- state targets on campus in the win- ter, some more than once, along with a number of targeted players from states such as Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. Purdue was far enough along, ear- ly on, in its evaluation process that it could offer roughly a dozen in-state prospects before the calendar had even turned to 2014. That two of them, offensive tackle Matt McCann and running back Markell Jones, have already committed might serve as indication that Purdue's emphasis on its home state is paying off, though the Boilermakers would still love obviously to become more of a player for Indianap- olis' better players. McCann's commitment was Purdue's first from an In- dy-area high school recruit since the 2012 class. Purdue was also all over its preferred 2015 quarterback, Elijah Sindelar, long before the 2014 class was even signed, and that initiative paid off almost immediately this winter, when Sindelar turned down his home state's school, Ken- tucky, and committed to the Boilermakers. Sindelar hasn't gone out of his way to try to enhance his reputation among scouts and recruiters — he attended only Purdue's camps this summer instead of any sort of showcase events — but as is, he's thought by many to be one of the better QBs available nationally. Had he not committed in February, he might have had the lengthy offer sheet to prove it, though UK was one of a couple SEC schools to offer Sindelar around the same time Purdue did. Sindelar, to this point, is the headliner of Purdue's class, one that stood at seven commitments as of the last week of June — No. 7 came on June 27, when running back Tario Fuller chose the Boil- ermakers — with the possibility of more to come before summer's out. H ere's a look at Purdue's first six commitments. Elijah Sindelar: Playing in a pass-dominated spread offense in high school, the strong-armed and athletic QB completed 65 percent of his passes as a ju- nior at Caldwell County High School for 44 touchdowns (to just eight interceptions) and nearly 3,500 yards. Purdue won't ask him to throw the ball every down like he does now, but that style has allowed him to display his strong arm, quick release and outstanding athleticism to go along with his 6-foot-4, 200-plus- pound frame. Sindelar's considered a potential Major League Baseball prospect and is also a very good basket- ball player for his high school, the convergence of his three sports commitments keeping him particularly busy in the summer, but also suggesting him to have some added up- side in football when he concentrates solely on it. A 4.0 student sold on Purdue's engineering program, Sindelar is rated as the No. 20 pro-style quarterback na- tionally by Rivals.com. It couldn't have been easy for Sindelar to turn down in- state Kentucky and maybe the SEC in general, but he says he's as committed to Purdue as can be, though he won't be able to graduate early like many other quarterbacks do, because of senior-year baseball responsibilities. "I'm done. I am done with recruiting," Sindelar said. "That's coming from me, personally. Coaches might call, but I never speak to them, and my coach does a good job telling them, 'Thank you for calling but he's committed,' and then talks about other kids on my team, which is nice for them." Markell Jones: The Columbus East running back is one of the most productive players in the state, a phys- ical, determined runner who racked up more than 2,700 rushing yards and scored more than 40 touchdowns last fall. "I'd call myself smash-mouth," Jones said. "I'm not the Brian Neubert Quarterback Elijah Sindelar marked a significant recruiting win for Purdue back in February, when he spurned SEC programs to commit to the Boil- ermakers.