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terback) and he said, 'You're my first visit, you're my first call and I want you to know you're my guy.' "He told me not to think they didn't want me and I told him, 'Don't feel like you just have to (take) me because you inherited me.' I want it to be something we both want. I liked him. He seemed really down to earth and he seemed like he really wanted me at Purdue." And so Purdue will keep Etling in the fold, the quarterback has decided. Purdue did lose commitments either before Brian Neubert or during its coaching David Yancey, a running back, was one of the driving transition, though. forces behind many of Purdue's commitments staying Junior college comthe course through the program's coaching transition. mitment and former signee Randy Gregory bolted for Nebraska; lineman Parker Cothren switched to Penn State; and defensive tackle Kyle Shortridge flipped to Louisville. Yancey, along with fellow running back Keyante Green and Etling, were instrumental in keeping those who'd committed to Hope in contact, hoping to keep the core of the class intact. "If we're going to be playing together, we're basically brothers now," Yancey said. "We should keep in touch and build that bond now, so when we're on the field together, it's no problem." The Boilermakers are left with 13 commitments and counting following the additions of defensive backs Leroy Clark and TyVel Jemison, a Fort Wayne native who's been committed to Purdue all season, pending its approval of his academic standing. Purdue could be on the verge of adding a commitment from prep school linebacker Sam Lebbie, a former West Virginia signee who officially visited West Lafayette for the regular-season finale against Indiana. Should his grades allow him, Lebbie would be a mid-year graduate eligible to arrive at Purdue Jan. 7. This could be a class highlighted by mid-year enrollees. Etling and Yancey are expected to show up early, as is linebacker/defensive end John Strauser and prep school defensive tackle Ra'Zahn Howard, Lebbie's teammate at Atlanta Sports Academy in Georgia. That's good news for Purdue, which especially needs help for 2013 at running back and defensive tackle, where Yancey's and Howard's presences will be welcomed in the spring. The class is loaded thus far at defensive back, where Purdue has landed top early targets at safety in Austin Logan and now Clark, along with Jemison. Floridian Justin Williams might be next, though he has an offer and Jan. 18 visit set to Michigan State. "Everything about Purdue," he said, "I love it." Hazell is taking over too late to really begin the process anew, so many of the targets identified under Hope will be carried over. But in coming recruiting classes, Purdue will place renewed emphasis on the Midwest, specifically Indiana. "If Purdue wants to get back to the level of competing for Big Ten championships on a regular basis, I think it starts in recruiting," Rivals.com Midwest recruiting analyst Josh Helmholdt said. "It starts in being strong in their own backyard and that starts with the state of Indiana and the city of Chicago, but also includes Ohio. "When you recruit your backyard, I think you're going to get an overall better class. It's going to have better cohesion. It's going to have kids who understand your program and your traditions better. And you can compete for higher-level kids in your backyard better than you can in Florida and Texas and California or anywhere else." j Buy Subaru and keep Indiana driving. Lafayette, Indiana built 2012 Subaru Legacy HAZELL'S TRAVELS New Purdue coach Darrell Hazell's first recruiting trips on the Boilermakers' behalf all made geographic and strategic success. With the demands on his time being many, Hazell first in-home visits were made to nearby locations. First it was quarterback Danny Etling in Terre Haute, then running back David Yancey in Northwest Indiana. Both are already committed, as are John Strauser and Jake Replogle, who received visits at their Illinois and Ohio homes. The lone uncommitted prospect visited thus far has been tight end Nate Wozniak in Greenwood. The 6-foot-9 Center Grove High School standout has been mulling offers from Purdue and Miami (Fla.) for months. The dead period for college football started Dec. 18 and runs through Jan. 3, meaning visits will resume then. Purdue will not host its first set of official visits under Hazell until the weekend of Jan. 5. — Brian Neubert GBIprint.com GoldandBlack.com Fort Wayne Subaru 5000 Illinois Road Fort Wayne, IN 47905 260-432-4567 www.fortwaynesubaru.com Bob Rohrman Subaru 1600 South Creasy Lane Lafayette, IN 47905 765-449-8100 www.bobrohrmansubaru.com GOLD & BLACK ILLUSTRATED • VOLUME 23, ISSUE 3 • 29