BOILING OVER: Latest skinny on football, hoops, recruiting and more
Welcome to “BOILING OVER,” GoldandBlack.com’s weekly information clearinghouse, a spot for assorted bits of Purdue news, analysis and so on and so forth, intended for GoldandBlack.com members and GoldandBlack.com members only.
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PURDUE FOOTBALL RECRUITING
A raft of visitors are slated to be at the Fresno State game on Saturday. Among them: seven 2024 commits. Purdue already has 21 pledges in the Class of 2024, ranking 28th in the nation according to On3.com.
Purdue will have a nice collection of 2025s on campus, including four-stars Brock Schott, Joseph Reiff and Tarrion Grant.
In all, there will be about 30-35 prospects at the game on Saturday.
2024s
OL Max Parrott
OL Jordan King
OL Jaden Ball
LB Sam Feeney
WR/DB Isaiah Needam, Perry Meridian, Indianapolis
DB Jaren Bush, Hamilton Southeastern (Fishers, Ind.)
2025s
DL Joseph Reiff
TE Brock Schott
CB/QB Landin Hoeppner, Leo (Ind.) High
Know this: Noon kickoffs make it hard for prospects to attend because most have Saturday morning obligations with their team in terms of meetings and practice corrections from the night before. On that note, RB Jaheim Merriweather, DL Tony Carter, DL Drayden Pavey and QB Bo Polston had to re-schedule.
• The staff looks poised to land DL Demeco Kennedy, who will announce his school of choice on Sept. 7. How much room is left in this class? It’s thought the staff may take two or three more players.
PURDUE FOOTBALL
• Fresno State arrived in Indiana on Thursday, as it wants an extra day to acclimate from the Pacific to the Eastern time zone as its preps for a 12 p.m. ET start (9 a.m. PT) on Saturday.
“It’s about acclimatizing your body clock,” said Fresno State coach Jeff Tedford. “It’s an early game. So, we’ll go a day early. We’ll have our normal Thursday practice here before we leave. And then we’ll have a Friday practice over there, which is typically just a helmets-type, situational practice. So, we’ll do that over there. But, really, it’s just to get acclimatized to the time change and having our players … we’re an early morning team, anyway, we’re up early every single day. But it’s really important just to feel what the timing’s like so it doesn’t throw us off with our sleep pattern.”
• Confirmed earlier this week that OL Zach Richards no longer is with the program. He has dealt with injury and was out all of camp. Richards never was a factor during his tenure. Fellow OL Andre Oben also missed camp coming off back surgery and isn’t expected back until the spring.
• S Sanoussi Kane will play the first game or two with his left hand/wrist wrapped in a cast.
• True freshman S Ethon Cole tore an ACL in the spring and isn’t expected back until next spring.
• DE J.P. Deeter is still dealing with the effects of a dislocated elbow suffered during bowl prep.
• DE Prince Boyd was out in camp and may not be back until midseason or later as he comes off a ruptured Achilles suffered in the spring.
• CB Braxton Myers has been in a boot. Not known when he’ll return, but the Ole Miss transfer looks destined for a redshirt, regardless.
• CB Salim Turner-Muhammad has yet to suit up as he deals with a lingering hamstring issue. He could be back for Virginia Tech or Syracuse.
• C Gus Hartwig looks targeted for a midseason return, but his status could change as he continues to battle back from offseason knee surgery.
• If C Josh Kaltenberger isn’t able to go in the opener after hurting a knee in camp, he is expected to be back for next week’s junket to Virginia Tech.
• No. 1 left offensive tackle Mahamane Moussa is 50-50 for Saturday as he deals with a lower-leg issue. If he can’t go, Daniel Johnson likely would be the starter vs. Fresno State. He’s coming off a knee injury.
• Purdue director of broadcast services Cory Palm is working on a book that will chronicle the best 100 games in Ross-Ade Stadium to be released in the summer of 2024, as the edifice will be feted all fall during a 100th season celebration.
The book will be laid out chronologically and will include stories about Boilermaker luminaries ranging from Noble Kizer, Len Dawson, Bob Griese and Leroy Keyes to Jim Everett, Rod Woodson, David Bell, Aidan O’Connell and myriad others.
As a companion piece, Palm also will have a podcast that debuts this week, where he and Purdue play-by-play voice Tim Newton will break down about a dozen notable games and interview a key player from a notable game. Week One’s guest is Dale Samuels, who will discuss the 1952 Old Oaken Bucket game where the Boilermakers clinched a Big Ten title with a late touchdown in a downpour.
• As has been mentioned, the Big Ten is beginning a game day injury report for all teams in 2023. Each school will submit an injury report at least two hours before their respective kickoff. There will be two designations for players: out and questionable.
The Big Ten will distribute injury reports on its website and post them on social media. This is the first time a Power Five conference is requiring schools to submit injury reports.
PURDUE BASKETBALL RECRUITING
So stuff gets real starting this weekend, as official visits begin, with guard Travis Perry being the uncommitted visitor, joined this weekend by commits Jack Benter and Raleigh Burgess (Perry’s Indiana Elite teammate the past several years).
Just to be very clear here, or at least as clear as we can be: Purdue wants Perry. It has for a long time. It needs ball-handlers and Perry is a Painter guy and Painter does love him some Painter guys. Purdue’s come this far with him.
But Purdue doesn’t need to max out its scholarships and it must have Gicarri Harris at this point. He’d be just such a stark elemental add for the Boilermakers and they’re so close on him, that’s just a must. Harris is coming on his official in three weeks. He still has an LSU visit on the books after that but we’ll see if he gets that far. Our read on that one has been that the player has been sold on Purdue for quite some time, but is planning to take visits for the sake of those around him preaching due diligence.
There’s no ticking clock on Perry and Purdue. He and his family have been beyond thorough during this whole process but this is the time of year where everybody starts getting other people and the musical chairs begin.
Purdue’s always been strong with Perry, but the picture around them has been kind of a moving target. Cincinnati has wanted him and came to his games this summer. They might be the biggest other consideration along with Purdue.
Michigan has long been heavily involved, but our contacts there don’t seem to think they can get him. Notre Dame had offered, but seems to have moved on after landing another commit. Perry lists Ole Miss still, but that was their old staff that really recruited him. Indiana is not really involved. The question is whether Kentucky would just take him as a nod to its state, with both sides likely knowing it’s not a good basketball fit. (UK wasn’t all that invested in Derek Willis years back, but took him just because it could, to have a Kentucky kid but also to troll Louisville after Richard Pitino had done all the heavy lifting to get him to back out on Purdue.)
Western Kentucky has really moved here, too, we think, and as dominoes continue falling, Steve Lutz’s chances get better and better, it would seem.
Regarding Purdue, if Perry waits, then the Boilermakers get Harris — still an if until he actually says it — Purdue would still take Perry but the possibility would of course exist that Harris could deter Perry.
Assuming no COVID years — they’re unlikely — or attrition (always possible, if not likely), Purdue has just Caleb Furst‘s scholarship to fill in 2025, and acute frontcourt needs to fill. Maxing out 2024 would have to come with some consternation, IMO. (BN)
Furst Sr.
TKR Jr.
Waddell Jr.
Loyer Jr.
Smith Jr.
Colvin So.
Heide So.
Berg So.
Burgess Fr.
Catchings Fr.
Benter Fr. (BN)
• As On3’s Joe Tipton reported this morning, 2025 4/5 Eric Reibe has scheduled a junior-year official visit to Purdue for Nov. 10-12. He was the one guy we figured Purdue would really want in for a junior OV. (Trent Sisley has already visited so much unofficially.)
Interestingly, the German big man was back home while Purdue was over there and came to one of its games.
Purdue clearly playing 3-D chess in that recruitment, planning this trip years ago, then making sure it got delayed twice just to make sure it aligned with Reibe’s schedule. (BN)
PURDUE BASKETBALL
• Zach Edey will be back around Sept. 10-11, about two weeks before formal practice begins, at which time Purdue should have a full and healthy roster provided Ethan Morton‘s hamstring doesn’t get re-injured. He’s practicing right now, but not fully.
Lance Jones is away from the team right now following the passing of his father.
• No decisions yet on the location of the Maui Invitational, but do not rule out the original site. The Lahaina Civic Center still stands and the island really needs an economic bump. (BN)
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