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72 GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED er targets, Ohio's Terrance Landers, is set to announce a decision June 27. Purdue leads, he says, over offers from Iowa, Pittsburgh and others. Speed in general is an empha- sis on offense for Purdue this year and Wegher and/or Johnson and/or Landers would mark steps in that di- rection. Purdue will need to go on a run of defensive line commitments in com- ing months, but shored up some of its needs on the offensive front quickly, landing one of its first picks at center in Missouri's Dylan Powell and an of- fensive tackle, Luke Campbell, it be- came infatuated with during a June camp workout on campus. A look at each of Purdue's first seven verbal commitments: LUKE CAMPBELL: In mid-June, Campbell came to camp and wound up working out privately for Darrell Hazell and assistant coaches John Shoop, Marcus Freeman and Jim Bridge. "Coach Freeman had seen Luke lift and work out, all that stuff," Campbell's father, Chris, said. "He said, 'Just get to campus, because I know Coach Bridge and Coach Shoop are just going to fall in love with you.' Sure enough ..." Purdue's coaches liked what they saw and the 6-foot-4, 270-pound pro- jected tackle became then and there a top Boilermaker target. Purdue got its man shortly there- after, when Campbell committed to the Boilermakers over offers from Illinois, Cincinnati and others and interest from Michigan State and Pittsburgh. In Campbell, Purdue's getting a lineman defined by his athleticism, one who's still physically developing. Campbell ran a very good 5.05-sec- ond 40-yard dash at Purdue's camp and weighed in at 272 pounds, about 35 more than his playing weight at the end of his junior season at Ole- tangy High School in Lewis Center, Ohio. "I think I'm really good at getting to the second level. I think that's kind of my specialty, getting down- field and getting to blocks," he said. "Last season, I was pretty light and I've gained 35 pounds since then. "I was just eating a lot and lifting a whole bunch and it just kind of worked itself out. It has been a little adjustment, because when I got back to running pretty hard, I'd gotten a little slower, but I've gotten back to where I was." BENAIAH FRANKLIN: The first of what will be several receiver ad- ditions, Franklin was recruited for both sides of the ball, the Boiler- maker staff initially projecting him for offense. The 6-1, 185-pounder from Mari- etta Wheeler in the Atlanta area will probably start his college career in the slot on offense. "They recruited me as an athlete," Franklin said, "but they said they'd motion me into the backfield and let me run the ball, too." Franklin was also offered early by Georgia Southern, Appalachian State, Arkansas State and Middle Tennessee. Some viewed him as a safety pros- pect, also. JOSH HAYES: Purdue's first com- mitment, the cornerback from Pike in Indianapolis was one of the very first prospects offered in the 2016 recruit- ing cycle. The 5-11, 175-pound Hayes is a well-built and physical corner, clear- ly the strongest of the Boilermakers' three cornerback recruits. "(Coaches) say they like me be- cause I'm long and I can be physical and they like my ball skills," Hayes said. "They think I'd fit in great and I could have a chance to play quickly. "I'm really good in space. A lot of guys like playing zone better. I per- sonally like man, because I have the opportunity to take away someone's best receiver. I think that separates me from a lot of other defensive backs. … I like to think I can kind of do it all: Tackle, jam receivers and play pretty well in zone, too, if I have to." Rivals.com Defensive back Jacob Long chose Pur- due over early offers from West Virginia and Virginia, among many others.