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50 GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED and what better place to go to than the J.C.," he said. "When I was doing my research on who had signed, who was getting looked at, there were a good amount of DBs that I saw. I asked and realized they had DBs who were leaving from Purdue and they needed peo- ple to come in, and there are things that need to get done on the defensive side. They've asked a couple of us, because for whatever reason our attributes that we bring are what they need." At San Jacinto J.C. this past season — Parker went to junior college after suffering a major knee injury in high school — he made a team-high 61 tackles in 10 games, with two sacks, seven-and-a-half tackles for loss and a pair of interceptions. For more on Parker, see Pages 46-47. BRANDON SHUMAN Opportunity attracted the Rivals. com three-star prospect to Pur- due, to which he committed in the summer, then followed through with despite continued recruiting activity throughout the year. "They expect me to come in play right away, I think," Shu- man said. "They want me to be part of what helps them turn it around. "They're losing two of their best corners and they're looking for a lot of help there." The 5-11, 185-pound DB from Gulliver Prep in Mi- ami wants that opportunity. Shuman may not be the biggest or strongest corner prospect out there at this stage of his development, but he plays bigger than he is, coaches suggest. "He's a long, smooth athlete, a guy who can take the ball the distance," secondary coach Taver John- son said. "But the one thing we like, and the one thing that's going to be a big-time asset for us, is that he's physical as well. "We're definitely going to ask our all of our de- fensive backs, especially our corners, to make sure they stick their faces in there. Don't be afraid of any blockers that are 300 pounds or tailbacks that are 230. He comes from a high school that is known for (producing) a ton of good players and we're excited to have him." Shuman made 32 tackles and had one interception this season. He chose Purdue over reported early offers from Wisconsin, North Carolina State, Kentucky, Indiana and many others. ROB SIMMONS Talk about "sleeper" prospects. Largely due to a position switch and a physique that needs development, the junior college defensive end signee committed to Purdue at a time when he held offers only from non-Division I schools. Syracuse, though, had previ- ously offered, only to fire its coach and start the re- cruiting process largely over. But a couple former Orange coaches, Tim Lester and Smith, came on board and picked things up with Purdue with Simmons, who came for a last-weekend official, got an offer and took it. Kansas State subsequently offered, but Simmons signed with the Boilermakers on national signing day, another strike toward filling Purdue's need for pass-rush help, it hopes. After moving to D-end from wide receiver at Valley Forge Military Academy in Pennsylvania, the Phil- adelphia native registered double-figure sacks this season. "They like how fast I am, how explosive I am off the ball," Simmons said. "They like what kind of pass-rusher I am. They said that's what they really need. "I don't have great size yet — I'm only 216 pounds — but I'm very quick off the ball and my length makes it hard for quarterbacks to see over me when I get my hands up, being 6-6." Regarding that size: Simmons is eligible to red- shirt. "They said it depends how I come in during the summer and how I perform," Simmons said of the redshirt possibility. "When I get in there, they're go-