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VOLUME 26, ISSUE 4 51 ing to try to pack on another 20-25 pounds so I can take on those big O-linemen. They were saying it de- pends on how I (develop) in the summer." SIMEON SMILEY The 6-foot, 195-pound DB from Pensacola Catholic can play safety or cornerback. He'll begin his Purdue career as the latter. "They like my size," Smiley said. "That's what a lot of coach- es have said. They like how I hit and how I cover and how long my arms are, my wingspan. They think I'm smart as a player. "(Taver Johnson) said he wants to play a lot of press man (coverage), and they think I fit into that because of my size." In eight games this season, Smiley recorded 14 tack- les, intercepted a pass and forced two fumbles. He also scored four rushing touchdowns. "He's one of those all-around guys. When you watch his film, he just has a knack for being around the football, getting the football out," Johnson said. "He has great hips. He's a long guy who can help himself at the line of scrimmage, but also he's a guy who loves to compete, stick his face in there and tackle." Purdue was drawn to Smiley's productivity in the return game prior to his senior season, as well, though he got very few chances as a senior. "People started kicking away from him," Johnson said. The Rivals.com three-star prospect chose Purdue over South Alabama, but he had several reported ma- jor-conference offers early in the recruiting process. JARED SPARKS Purdue went the majority of the re- cruiting cycle with no intention of signing a quarterback, content to go into next season with three on scholarship. Then, the offensive staff turned over, it became clear senior Aus- tin Appleby would be leaving as a graduate transfer and the posi- tion went from afterthought to full-blown need. The result: Purdue pulled Sparks out of the New Orleans area and off a long-standing commitment to Southern Miss. The 6-1, 200-pound QB from Dutchtown High School in Geismar, La., was offered by the Boiler- maker coaching staff after coordinator and position coach John Shoop was fired and before Terry Malone was promoted to OC and Tim Lester was hired as quarterbacks coach. But those Purdue coaches who made the call to of- fer Sparks saw a player different from those in the program currently. "They love my playmaking ability and how I lead my team, how I can beat people from the pock- et or outside the pocket," Sparks said. "… I think you might have to attack Big Ten teams like that because offenses these days seem to be changing more toward dual-threat quarterbacks than just be- ing in the pocket. If a play breaks down, I can make plays and if I stay in the pocket I can make plays and I think that's what the coaches wanted." Sparks said, though, that his upside lies in refin- ing his passing technique. "I think it's my ability to make every throw," he said. "I think I can become more consistent with my feet and make sure I make my reads faster, because they tell me the game is quicker and I'm going to have to adapt. I'm just going to keep working on my technique and keep getting my body ready for the college level. And mentally. You can never be too pre- pared mentally. That's a big part of it."