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72 ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 25, ISSUE 3 f er guy and we're bringing in three (freshmen) this year but I'll have a jump on the other freshmen before they get there. I believe that if I just go in there and perform well during spring ball, at the end of the day they're going to play or start the best guys. We'll see what happens." Ben Makowski: It may not be the most focused-up- on position, but that doesn't make it any less important: Ma- kowski is Purdue's long-snapper now of both the present and future. In advance of the graduation of four-year snapper Jesse Schmitt, Hazell and his staff allotted a scholarship to the po- sition and lined up Makowski back in June. "He's really, really good at what he does," Hazell said. "He zips it back there, he can cover." It wasn't until mid-December, though, that Makowski elected to cut his high school life a bit short and move up to college. It'll give him a chance to begin working with Pur- due's specialist units now. Anthony Mahoungou: There's some unknown to Mahoungou, a towering 6-4, 205-pound wide receiver, but obviously enough promise in Purdue's eyes to make him worth a three- or four-year scholarship. A native of France who's played one junior college season of football in the U.S., he'll come to Purdue with three years of eligibility instead of the typical two for JUCO transfers. "When you watch his film, you study his film, he's very long, very efficient, can go deep, can catch around people," Hazell said. "So I'm excited to see what he can bring to us. He still has some things mechanically at the line of scrimmage that have to be cleaned up, but he's got really soft hands, a huge catching radius and is just so eager to get better. That's what you love about him." In that first year of U.S. football at West Hills College in California, Mahoungou caught 41 passes for 801 yards and nine touchdowns, all of them team-highs by a wide margin. "It's a bit faster," Mahoungou said of the American game, "but I believe when you know how to control your body, you know how to play and you understand the game, that transi- tion wasn't as hard for me. The speed of the game increased, though, and the players are more athletic, faster and when they hit you, you feel it." Size at receiver was an element Purdue prioritized and one Mahoungou, on paper, projects to provide. "I'm a tall receiver and kind of fast," he said. "You can put me out by myself to play one-on-one against a corner and I can dominate, I think." Anyone else?: It's possible, although Hazell has said Purdue doesn't anticipate more mid-year enrollees. Purdue has been involved in the recruitments of junior college tight ends, which might be critically important with J.C. Cole Hi- kutini flipping from Purdue to Louisville in mid-December, defensive linemen and wide receivers and has very much been a factor in the recruitment of blue-chip high school re- cruit Brian Cole, a Michigan commitment who's made offi- cial visits to Wisconsin, Nebraska and Purdue. The Badgers, Cornhuskers and the Wolverines to which he's committed have all changed coaches. Ohio State could make a push for Cole, regarded by some as the nation's top "athlete," a wide receiver/defensive back prospect. Former Boilermaker safety and fellow Saginaw Heritage High School product Stuart Schweigert is Cole's trainer. j 1600 South Creasy Lane Lafayette, IN 47905 1-866-906-6223 www.BobRohrmanSubaru.com Bob Rohrman Subaru Buy a Subaru and Keep Indiana Driving. BRAND NEW 2015 SuBARu FORESTER