Gold and Black is a multi-platform media company that covers Purdue athletics like no one else.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/790203
GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 27, ISSUE 4 20 JACOB ABRAMS DB • 6-2, 190 • Carmel (Carmel) Purdue's coaching staff holds a certain affinity for taller, bigger defensive backs. With that in mind, Abrams appealed to new Boilermaker coach Jeff Brohm im- mediately when he was hired. After visiting Carmel High School in the winter, Brohm of- fered Abrams, who immediately accepted. "... He gives us the look," Brohm said. "He has size, the strength, the body. He's a little bit raw at certain times, but can definitely make plays. He is a strong young man who has a bright future, who in my opinion will be able to play a lot of positions in the secondary." Abrams recorded 60 tackles, nine breakups and two interceptions for the state-power Greyhounds this sea- son. "I'm a pretty tall corner with good length," Abrams said. "I think I'm pretty good in press coverage and I have good enough speed to cover long balls. I'm pretty quick on my feet and can get out of my breaks well." Abrams' senior season was really only his second year playing football. He didn't start until his junior year, and even then, not until that fall. Then prior to his senior year, his preparation for the fall was marred by injury and illness, Carmel coach John Hebert said. In part because of a lack of exposure, Abrams held offers from just Ball State and Illinois State at the time Brohm offered, but he was probably headed to the Ivy League's University of Pennsylvania had a Big Ten opportunity not arisen. Hebert thought Abrams might have been on the verge of more offers, though, when he committed to Purdue Dec. 12. "He's just got it all," Hebert said. "The only thing he doesn't have, in my opinion, is bad habits from playing the game a long time." GRIFFIN ALSTOTT QB • 6-2 • 205 • St. Petersburg, Fla. (Northside Christian) Griffin Alstott knows full well what awaits him at Purdue: The legacy of his father, Mike, one of the greatest players in Boilermaker history and one of the greatest fullbacks in NFL history. That's OK, he says. "With just his name, he's opened a lot of doors for me," Grif- fin Alstott said. "But it's my job to step through them." While it is reasonable to suggest that his name put him on the radar of Purdue's former coaching staff, it would not be reasonable to suggest it was the lone reason Darrell Hazell offered the quarterback a schol- arship and accepted a springtime verbal commitment from him. By every account, Griffin Alstott was offered BY GOLD AND BLACK STAFF Meet The Charles Jischke Griffin Alsott comes to Purdue as part of Boilermaker football royalty as his dad Mike remains the school's all-time leading rusher with 3,635 yards.