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GOLDANDBLACK EXPRESS • VOLUME 25, EXPRESS 28 • 20 Burke said he's entertaining FieldTurf, but it wouldn't happen this season. ANTHROP ON PACE When organized team workouts start in June, Danny Anthrop expects to be cleared fully to participate. That'd be quite the feat — marking a six-month recovery from surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament, torn lateral medial meniscus and cartilage damage. But it's always been what Anthrop, the team's leading returning receiver, envisioned. So he's happy to see his work and the guidance of his athletic trainers pay off. "I'm doing really well, really well," Anthrop said in early May. "It feels really good. I feel the best when I'm out running routes. The hardest stuff is just weight room stuff, just because I haven't done it in, like, five months. For me right now, it's really easy to get motivated to be in shape, which is nice, because other summers, I'm like, 'Uh, I'm in pretty good shape.' "I feel great. I got lucky. I know a lot of people, it's years (before feeling good). Some of my teammates have ACLs and they still kind of giddy on it. I don't know if it's just me eager to get back out there or what, but I feel good." NEW HIRE Hazell will be replacing what he considers a position of critical importance on his staff: Director of football operations. With former director of ops Casey Nuss leaving this week, Hazell hopes to have the position filled soon. Nuss started at Purdue on Danny Hope's staff as director of operations before moving to a newly created high school relations position upon Hazell's arrival. But when former ops guy Tommy Cook left last year, Nuss moved into that role. Nuss has accepted a job in Nebraska. It's not in football. "I talk to that guy 30 times a day about different issues. That's a big, big hire for me," Hazell said last week. "Got to make sure we get it right. I want to fill it before Casey leaves so there's some cross-training." Typically, a director of ops handles scheduling team travel, student-athlete housing, training table and community service work. MAKING THE GRADE Though down from last spring's total of 47, Hazell still was happy with 43 players landing on his "A" Players list (3.0 GPA or better) after this spring's grades were released last week. Two current players had 4.0 GPAs in the spring — linebacker Jimmy Herman and freshman Elijah Sindelar. Former Boilermaker Greg Latta, whose eligibility had expired, also had a perfect GPA. As a team for the spring semester, the Boilermakers had 2.75 GPA — the third-highest on record for a semester. That helped raise the team's cumulative GPA to 2.87, the highest since 2001. "(It's) way up, and it's continuing to climb. Like the way it's trending," Hazell said. "Very happy with the guys. There were a couple guys who were 2.98, 2.97, you'd like to get those guys pushed over the edge. But the guys have done a great job really working at it. It's important to them. "The nice thing now, as opposed to before, is their minds are wrapped around both things now, football and the education, and that's where you want to be." Hazell said 38 players are on campus now for Maymester and a couple others are taking online classes during this period. The freshmen and the full team are expected to be on campus for the start of summer school in June. WATCH LIST For the second consecutive year, center Robert Kugler has been named to the Remington Trophy spring watch list. Kugler is one of 52 players on the early watch list, according to the trophy's website. He has started 31 consecutive games, the last two seasons at center. He was voted a team captain as a junior last season, the first year in which Hazell allowed non- seniors to be selected as captains. The winner of the award will be selected by determining the consensus All-America center pick from three existing All-America teams, according to the award's website . j The iPad app is available at the App store. Search "Gold and Black" for an easy download. The app is created for your Newsstand on your iPad and will download directly there. It does NOT download as a separate app on your desktop. The digital edition of Gold and Black Illustrated, including 30 issues of Gold and Black EXPRESS includes all the great content you have come to expect, plus special features such as video and audio content and the best in social media updates. • Immediate delivery — no waiting for postal service • Searchable archive of back issues • Available on desktops and laptops and now optimized for the iPad • One-click access through e-mail bulletin which allows easy access. Just make sure we have your e-mail address. Contact us at 1-800-876-GOPU or GNBManager@aol.com if we can answer any questions. on the iPad Access Included for all print subscribers!