GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 27, ISSUE 4 14
BY BRIAN NEUBERT
BNeubert@GoldandBlack.com
R
ecruiting is always a long-
term sort of endeavor, but
for new Purdue coach Jeff
Brohm, his first Boilermaker signing
class was assembled with a sharp eye
on the now.
The new Boilermaker coach was
hired at the start of December to re
-
place the ousted Darrell Hazell, who
was let go in October.
He immediately found the sort of
personnel voids that one might ex-
pect from a program that's won nine
games the past four seasons, holes
that mandated immediate action in
advance of 2017.
The best way to put it might be this:
Brohm recruited like he needed a new
team, a new team in 2017 from the
one it fielded in 2016.
Most of the dozen-plus commit
-
ments Hazell and staff had gained
went by the wayside, either by their
choosing or a more mutual sort of un-
derstanding.
They were replaced largely with
players Brohm knows.
Six players who committed to him
at Western Kentucky followed him
to West Lafayette, some immediate
-
ly and some just before signing day.
Additionally, some of the late-offer
prospects Purdue landed in the days
leading up to the signing date were
recruits Brohm and his coaches had
recruited in their prior jobs.
A heavy emphasis was placed on
older players, including the junior col
-
lege ranks, from which Purdue added
three mid-year signees and two oth-
ers to enroll this summer.
It would probably have been happy
to take more had some things fallen
differently.
Brohm doesn't anticipate taking
this many junior college players every
year, but this wasn't an ordinary sort
of year.
"You normally don't take those
guys unless they can come in right
now and play," Brohm said of the ju
-
nior college market. "They will come
New Purdue staff didn't have much time to put
together a class it needs help from now
Short-Term
Focus
PRESENTS:
FOOTBALL RECRUITING
