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54 ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 25, ISSUE 3 f "His stature is big, being over 200 pounds, so size won't really affect him," Williams said. "It probably helps him with leverage and some other things." Williams called Knox a "natural ball-carrier." "I think he's a powerful kid, and he's explosive," Williams said. "He's very strong, has great vision, great feet. He does a great job catching the ball out of the backfield as well. When you look at a guy who helps you on special teams, you are optimistic for the future." Pass protection and simple under- standing of Purdue's offense will be emphases for Knox now, Williams said. But opportunity awaits in the short term. Green, who edged out the freshman to be the No. 3 in camp last season, is the only returning running back who's played an offensive snap at Purdue. At running back, only Green, Knox and sophomore Keith Byars return among scholarship players — count- ing sophomore David Yancey as a fullback — so it'll be up to them, and incoming freshmen, next season. WIDE RECEIVER Purdue found itself in a difficult position at wide re- ceiver to end this season, with Danny Anthrop and B.J. Knauf injured and sophomore DeAngelo Yancey under- achieving after a promising freshman season. If there was any silver lining to this — and there really wasn't — it would have been the experience it afford- ed Purdue's two freshmen wide receivers. Gregory Phillips and Trae Hart both finished the season as starters. Now, if they progress as hoped, more will lie ahead. Phillips earned a role this season in large part because Purdue felt it just needed depth at his outside receiver spot, the "X" position in the Boilermaker offense. "His want-to, his toughness, strong hands," receiv- ers coach Kevin Sherman said of what stood out early about Phillips. "The main thing I like is his toughness and his want-to attitude. I think you can work with those things and it's really half the battle. He's pushed himself; we pushed him as well. There is a freshman wall and he hasn't hit (as of November), he's pushing through it and getting better every week. "He's very serious, very focused, very determined. He needs to get a bunch of reps and once you get those and watch film, the game will slow down for you." Phillips caught 10 passes for 151 yards in a season in which he supplanted Yancey, who caught 12 balls for just 147, as a starter by season's end. Hart played this season largely because Purdue felt it needed the element it hoped his high-end speed could provide. He wound up catching nine balls for 80 yards, having some ups and downs in the process. Listed before the season at just 157 pounds and looking not an ounce more, the 5-10 Hart clearly needs to get big- ger and stronger without compromising that speed. "He was very raw, a guy who did a lot of things for his high school," Sherman said. "But when you get to college ATTRITION'S TOLL The 2014 recruiting class lost three of its original members. It started with safety recruit Juan Jenkins not qual- ifying academically and never enrolling. Punter Austin McGehee left the program in July af- ter enrolling in June. He's now at Arkansas State. After the season, Cedric Dale, a cornerback recruit who asked to be moved to wide receiver in-season, left the program. Tom Campbell Wide receiver Gregory Phillips was thrown into action early in his career, then became a starter late in the season.