Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/460171
GOLDANDBLACK EXPRESS • VOLUME 25, EXPRESS 20 • 5 Y ou know how things look on paper with Purdue's 2015 recruiting class and need not be re- minded of how little in the long run how things look on paper actually matter. No, I'm not here to tell you that the external per- ception of another Purdue recruiting class doesn't matter. We've always maintained here that the Internet ranking system, while inherently flawed, is right more than it's wrong and that if notoriety didn't matter, schools wouldn't trumpet it on signing day when it's favorable. Yeah, I know, no five-stars in the Super Bowl, as was a popular Internet talking point in advance of signing day, mostly among those with low-ranked recruiting classes or the low-ranked young people who make up those low-ranked re - cruiting classes. That's air-tight logic there as an indictment of rankings, to look at one particular football game, a single snapshot in time, and count five-stars to dismiss the validity of rankings. Obviously the lack of five- star high school recruits among the 106 players on active rosters in the vac- uum of that one football game has absolutely noth- ing to do with the fact that there simply aren't very many of them. If your sarcasm gauge is broken, I'll tell you that that's sarcasm. I digress. Are there rankings-busters, kids who outkick the coverage so to speak? Of course. Every year, and there will be 'til the end of time. That doesn't mean, however, that relying on finding them isn't a tough road to hoe in the cannibal - istic world of recruiting. Purdue just signed a class of at least 25 players. I say "at least" be- cause it could grow. It's a group largely of young men who will look to defy conven- tional projection, as is not uncom- mon for Purdue and programs like it. Recruiting is about a lot of things, but nothing more impor- tant from a coach's perspective than the ability to evaluate, obvi- ously. It's not just about delineating between good players and bad players. You or I could do that. Rather it's about the ability to identify fit, to find in players things that a lot of other people who are very highly qualified and very well paid are either not seeing or not valuing. It's about having the con- viction to believe in one's opinion in the face of wide-spread senti- ment to the contrary. I'll compare it to journal- ism: Sometimes you're fortunate enough to have a proprietary piece of information before all others, before a piece of news has hit the mainstream. That can be a lonely place, man. With so much at stake, you worry about information changing or the doomsday scenario in which you were lied to or victim of a bad misunderstanding. When you're a college recruiter and you believe you have found a gem like Purdue did when it re - cruited guys like Michael Mendez, Anthony Mahoungou, Tim Faison or whoever, it has to be human na- ture to ask yourself, "Where's every- body else?" Purdue was undeterred. It had to be. It had to sign somebody. But it does believe in these 25 guys, it would seem. It does believe it mined gold others stepped right over. It had better be right, because this program needs players. Clearly. Darrell Hazell will ultimately be judged on his ability to win foot- ball games at Purdue. To be able to do that, this talent-short roster needs an infusion and it'll have to be the product of superior evalu- ation. Time will tell, like with any- thing else. This is a different situation too because a lot of these would-be diamonds were recruited with im- mediate needs in mind. So Purdue will know relatively quickly in recruiting terms at posi- tions like wide receiver, running back and tight end — scoring points is important, you know — whether it bought diamonds or cubic zirconia. j Neubert can be contacted at BNeubert@GoldandBlack.com F R O M E D I T O R B R I A N N E U B E R T Better Be Right Download... An updated GoldandBlack.com mobile App For the Android and iPhone at Google Play and the App Store