GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 27, ISSUE 1 68
BY BRIAN NEUBERT
BNeubert@GoldandBlack.com
N
ow, the action starts.
Purdue's forthcoming
2017 recruiting class proj-
ects to be one of the most important
groups Matt Painter has assembled
in the nearly dozen years coaching
his alma mater.
And Painter and his staff have
long had their sights set squarely
on a slew of highly regarded pros-
pects for that class.
Now comes the proverbial mo-
ment of truth, as those players be-
gin making visits and working to-
ward decisions.
It started with the unofficial visit
Purdue hosted in early August from
Rivals.com five-star prospect and
top-20-ranked forward Jaren Jack-
son, Jr., probably the Boilermaker
coaches' top overall target.
"At Purdue, I think I could come
in and have an immediate impact.
They told me I could
come in and play
heavy minutes,"
Jackson said.
"Whether I start or
not, I don't know.
Hopefully I could
be able to start
on (any) of these
teams recruiting
me, but they have
great players in
these programs
and I'd be thankful
for whatever role I
would get."
The 6-foot-10,
2 1 0 - p l u s - p o u n d
blue-chipper has
also visited Mich-
igan State and is
expected to make
unofficial visits
to Maryland and
Georgetown on the first weekend in
September.
Then, he could decide, content
to make his decision based off day
long unofficial visits as opposed to
more extended official trips.
"Unofficials are kind of more my
thing," said Jackson, who's spend-
ing his senior year at LaLumiere
School in Northern Indiana after
three years at Park Tudor in Indi-
anapolis. "I'm going there to see
specific things about schools and
make a business decision. I'm not
GO TIME
Crucial 2017 recruiting period begins
THE FRONT-BURNER
Here are the players Purdue has its sights set on for its crucial 2017
recruiting class.
Player Position Height Weight Rivals.com Rank
Evan Battey F/C 6-7 270 140
Terrell Brown F/C 6-10 225 —
Nojel Eastern G 6-5 180 58
Jacob Epperson C 6-11 220 —
Jaren Jackson Jr. F 6-10 215 20
Theo John F/C 6-9 225 129
Xavier Tillman F/C 6-8 260 81
Chris Sodom C 7-3 210 —
Kyle Young F 6-8 215 109
Men's Basketball Recruiting
Brian Neubert
Big man Jaren Jackson Jr. might be Purdue's most-covet-
ed prospect in 2017.
