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VOLUME 26, ISSUE 4 63 ery time I'm in practice, I just say to myself, 'I've come too far not to start here. With what I've been through it's impossible for me not to make it, not to do great things here,' " Hardy said. "… I can't let up now. I can't just be satisfied by having the Purdue jersey on. I can't be satisfied just being here. I have to do more and have to get better. I want to make a name for my- self." Hardy and the five other defensive backs who signed with Purdue in February have reason to be eager. They know the Boilermakers present oppor- tunity; Purdue lost its top two cornerbacks — An- thony Brown and Frankie Williams — after the sea- son, leaving virtually no experience returning. As it stands right now, Hardy would be in the mix as a starter with junior Da'Wan Hunte, who was the No. 3 last season; sophomore David Rose, who played minimally in 2015; and Myles Norwood, a converted wide receiver who has barely played in his career, let alone on defense. There are a handful of oth- er returning underclassmen as well, but none who have played. Freshmen corners Josh Hayes, Brandon Shuman and Simeon Smiley will arrive in the summer, then look to jump into the two-deep during August's train- ing camp. There's reason to think at least one, perhaps more, could do so. And outside of senior Leroy Clark, the safeties are unsettled as well, although returnees Brandon Rob- erts and Robert Gregory both had game repetitions as the free last season. And Purdue will have at least some shuffling of the coaching staff in the secondary, with new coordinator Ross Els taking over the safeties, leaving third-year assistant Taver Johnson to handle the cornerbacks. Regardless, Purdue will have a lot of new faces, with additional players and coaches, as it tries to re- tool the depth chart. C.J. Parker, one of two safety commitments with freshman Navon Mosley, thinks he can be part of the solution. A JUCO transfer from Mount San Jacinto in California, Parker says Purdue was looking for a physical safety, and at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, thinks he might be that guy. The Boilermakers didn't have such a player last season, with Clark being more of a coverage man and Gregory — he was the starter in the first 10 games before giving way to Roberts — struggling to pick up the nuances of the position. "They told me that they're going to need a guy who can come and help them in the run game," Parker said. "If you watch my film, I'm constantly coming down as a safety. I led my team in tackles, so that's a big thing. I think that's what I'm bringing to the table and that's something that they definitely relayed to me that they need, which they already have but it never hurts to have more." The size of the class — six is a significant number regardless of position — has helped the group forge VOLUME 26, ISSUE 4 63 C.J. Parker 6-2 • 205 • S "A good work ethic, a solid leader, which I think at safety is even more important because we're the guys who kind of take care of our side of the defense." Purdue defensive coordinator and safeties coach Ross Els Brandon Shuman 5-11 • 185 • CB "A guy who can take the ball the distance. But the one thing that we like — and the one thing that's going to be a big-time asset for us — is that he's physical as well." Purdue cornerbacks coach Taver Johnson Simeon Smiley 6-0 • 195 • CB "He is complete physically and men- tally prepared to play early. … I think he'll be able to walk in there in the summer and be able to compete for a position, from the meeting room to the field." Pensacola Catholic coach Greg Seibert