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GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 28, ISSUE 4 40 Cravaack, who will initially play defen- sive end at Purdue, has a background as a tight end in addition to defense, but a frame that could reasonably venture into defensive tackle or offensive line depths over time. We'll see. But it would seem best for him to have some time to develop physically and see where things go. Height: 6-5 Weight: 225 High School: Madeira Hometown: Cincinnati Senior Stats: Five sacks J ack Cravaack is a jack — no pun intended — of all trades, having played defensive end and tight end at his high school, plus linebacker earlier in his career. And he's versatile enough that he could grow into an interior defensive tackle at Purdue or maybe even an offensive lineman. But wherever he ends up — and he'll start as a defensive end for the Boiler- makers — it seems apparent that Cravaack will work to be successful. "There are a lot of people who want to say they want to play college football and it sounds good but you're not really sure if they have the ability or the (de- sire) to go do the things necessary," Madeira coach Mike Shafer said. "I think he's got that attitude that no matter how hard it gets or what they ask him to do, he's going to do it and want to put the time in and the work ethic to do it. "Everybody says they want to do it, but, really, not everybody really wants to do it. He does. He's got that ability to handle some adversity. To him, he's just going to work harder if something sets him back." It was Cravaack's versatility that made him so attractive to Purdue last summer, when it accepted his commit- ment over the likes of Oregon State, Army and Toledo, and before others could extend a formal invitation. "I think because of his toughness and overall competitiveness, he'll be a durable player for us and a solid football player," Coach Jeff Brohm said on December's early signing day. One of Cravaack's best characteristics, Shafer says, is a high motor that allowed him to make plays, even ones going away from him. "He had multiple plays behind the line of scrimmage where he would chase someone down and then have to reverse his field and was able to change direction and go attack the guy," Shafer said. "If we looked for somebody to make a big play, we could count on him." The Purdue Fit Did You Know? Cravaack is one of only two players in Madeira's histo- ry to score at least 1,000 points and grab at least 500 rebounds in his basketball career. Jack Cravaack Defensive lineman "We evaluated and rated Cravaack as a tight end, but it sounds like Purdue will look to bring him in as a defensive end. He is a two-sport athlete with a nice size/athleticism combo, so the transition should not be too drastic. What little we have seen of Cravaack at defensive end does show he will need to put on weight and strength before he can play the position at the Big Ten level. — Midwest analyst Josh Helmholdt rivals.com take Action photo by Brian Neubert