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BY DOUG GRIFFITHS DGriffiths@GoldandBlack.com ecruiting analyst Tom Lemming believes Purdue is off to a great start in the recruiting wars and could have a special year when signing day rolls around in February. “Right now Purdue is off to the best start they’ve ever had in recruiting, particularly locally,” said Lemming, who is the editor of Prep Football Report and is ESPN’s college football recruiting expert. “Purdue could have a really great year this year. They just have to sit back and go after some of the bigger names, which they’re doing. “Purdue is starting to get a real good offensive identity nationally. They’ve got big names looking their way now and I haven’t seen that in the 25 years that I’ve been doing this. “I’ve said before that Purdue has had good, quality classes, but they haven’t gotten a lot of interest from the premier players. That might be about to change, especially since the No. 1 player in the country is going to visit there.” Although it’s extremely early to rank recruiting classes, Lemming, a South Barington, Ill., native, who annually visits hundreds of the country’s top prospects, said the Boilermakers’ six verbal commitments to date put them among the top 20 classes nationally at this point. With five of those six commitments coming from instate players, one might believe that this is a great year for talent in Indiana. However, Lemming said that’s not the case. “It’s a good year, but I don’t know if there’s one clear knockout in the state though,” Lemming said. “It’s not a great year, but a very good year — an above average year. RECRUITING REPORT Where Lemming Has Ranked Purdue Following is a look at where recruiting analyst Tom Lemming has ranked Joe Tiller’s recruiting classes. Class Big Ten Nationally 2004 5th 20th-22nd 2003 4th or 5th 25th-30th 2002 5th 25th 2001 5th 20th 2000 7th 29th 1999 6th 30th 1998 2nd 11th 1997 10th NR NR-not ranked Lemming Believes Purdue May Have Great Recruiting Year Recruiting Analyst Impressed By Reception <strong>Boilers</strong> Receiving Nationwide Tom Campbell The size, arm strength and productivity of Evansville Harrison High School quarterback Joey Elliott has recruiting analyst Tom Lemming thinking that he’ll be a good one at the next level. “If Purdue gets the two instate players they really want, they’ll put their stamp on having complete control of the state.” Following is what Lemming had to say on each instate commitment. On Joey Elliot Lemming: “I like Joey. I had him bring tape to Champaign where I met him and I was really impressed with him. I was surprised because he had no offers when I saw him in April. That shocked me because he is such a good talent and I thought a lot of people would have known about him. But it takes some schools a little bit longer to realize that a 6-foot-2 kid with a good arm and good production is going to be good. “With Tiller it’s like money in the bank with a big-time quarterback. When it comes to quarterbacks, if they get the guy they want, he’ll be a star.” On Dray Mason Lemming: “He may be the only explosive player in the state. Plus, he could play a number of positions. 2004-05 VERBAL COMMITMENTS Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown/High School Joey Elliott QB 6-2 190 Evansville, Ind./Harrison Dray Mason RB 5-10 175 Indianapolis, Ind./Bishop Chatard Michael Neal DE 6-4 240 Merrillville, Ind./Merrillville Greg Orton WR 6-4 190 Huber Heights, Ohio/Wayne Jason Werner LB 6-4 200 Indianapolis, Ind./Roncalli Jared Zwilling DE 6-4 255 Evansville, Ind./Central Christian Graham* SS 6-2 190 Indianapolis, Ind./Warren Central Chris Haslon* RB 5-11 180 Burlington Township, N.J./Holy Cross David Ramirez! QB 6-2 190 Red Oak, Texas/Grace Preparatory Academy *hopes to re-sign with Purdue in February and join team mid-year !currently enrolled at Purdue as part-time student and set to join team in January Tom Campbell Lemming thinks Purdue recruited Indianapolis Roncalli High School linebacker Jason Werner based on his athleticism and potential. Lemming believes Merrillville High School standout Michael Neal has the most potential of any Indiana prepster. “I went through Indiana four times so I could see everybody and I thought he was one of the top five guys (in the state) that I saw on film.” On Michael Neal Lemming: “Of all the people in the state, the kid with the most potential is Michael Neal. He looks like an NFL guy right now. He’s a real physical guy, but he didn’t look that great on film as a junior, which is the thing that really got me. But he’s looking good now. “Purdue is going after him knowing they can coach him into being a great player because he has real good move- www.lafayettecommunitybank.com ment skills, he’s big, strong and powerful. He has all of the ingredients to be an All-American except for production. That scares me a little bit, but he’ll come around with good coaching and that’s exactly what he’ll get at Purdue.” On Jason Werner Lemming: “I liked him, too. He’s tall and skinny. His school has about three or four (Division I-A) prospects, but he’s the one that really jumps out. He’s impressive and comes off the corner real well. I think they’ll redshirt him and put some weight and strength on him. I think Purdue went after him based on his athletic ability and potential.” On Jared Zwilling Lemming: “I know they offered him a long time ago. He doesn’t have the body type that would lead you to believe that he’ll be a big-time player, but he plays like a big-time player and obviously that’s more important.” Editor’s Note: Lemming’s comments about Ohio wide receiver Greg Orton were in the last issue of GBI (Vol. 15, Issue 4). j For thorough, up-to-the-minute coverage of Boilermaker football recruiting, be sure to visit GoldandBlack.com Local Bank….Great Idea Business accounts. Personal accounts. Mortgages. Money market accounts. Investments. Certificates of deposit. On-line banking. You’d expect these services from Lafayette Community Bank You’ll get personal service and accurate decision-making from folks who understand the local economy and local concerns. Local Bank Local People Local Decisions 2 North Fourth Street 765-429-7200 ~ Main Office Lafayette, Indiana 47901 52 West & Yeager Road West Lafayette 765-464-0007 MEMBER FDIC 2136 Greenbush Street Lafayette 765-446-3770 GOLD & BLACK ILLUSTRATED • VOLUME 15, ISSUE 5 • 21 GoldandBlack.com
Presents Purdue Local Legends BY DOUG ELISH It’s true that dreams can come true, even if they’re not quite as expected. That’s the case for Boilermaker tight end Dustin Keller. Keller grew up a diehard Purdue fan and even aside from being raised in Lafayette, he had good reason. His grandfather, Dale Mulvey, played on Purdue’s 1952 Big Ten championship team, his great grandfather, Robert Siskind, was an engineering professor, his mother, Maureen, and grandmother, Linda Orr, are Purdue graduates and he has two brothers, Dwight and Drew, that are also <strong>Boilers</strong>. So when Keller says “this is the place I always wanted to be,” it’s easy to see why. But now that he’s wearing the Old Gold and Black that he’s always loved, he’s not doing what he’s always done. Keller came to Purdue as a record-setting wide receiver from Lafayette Jefferson High School. In his senior season, his 113 receptions and 1,804 yards were more than any Indiana player had ever accumulated in a single season and his 22 receiving touchdowns weren’t far off a record. He earned all-state honors, was a finalist for the Indiana Mr. Football award and was named in the nation’s top 50 receivers by Street & Smith’s. With such accolades, it’s understandable that Keller never thought he’d play Keller Living Purdue Roots anything other than wide receiver. But after a redshirt season full of not-so-subtle questions from Coach Joe Tiller, Keller started to suspect a position change to tight end might be in the future. “A lot of times Coach Tiller would come in the weight room my redshirt year joking around ‘keep on eating, put that weight on,’” said the 6-foot-4, 237-pound Keller. “He was always talking about where he wanted me to be on the scale and when I went to his office he would say ‘have you met (strength coach) Jim Lathrop?’ Just jokes like that, so I knew sooner or later it was going to happen.” The switch finally happened during this past spring practice and 50 pounds heavier, a whole bunch stronger and a few hundred technique lessons later, Keller made his first Boilermaker appearance against Syracuse Sept. 5. A 47-yard touchdown pass made his Purdue debut memorable and he followed that game up with a four-catch, 31-yard effort against Ball State. There wasn’t any question whether he could catch though, and the coaches and he both know he still has a lot to learn about blocking at the position. “His physical part of the game has improved dramatically considering where he’s coming from, but he’s got a lot to learn about the game of football,” Tiller said. “The thing of it is that it’s a different position and a different style of play compared to being outside. But he’s made tremendous progress since he’s been there.” Keller didn’t hesitate to admit that blocking a 180-pound defensive back is like a stroll in the park compared to tangling with a 280-pound lineman, but he’s determined to master his new trade. His weightroom numbers have risen tremendously and, while it’s not a great measure of overall strength, his bench press number broke the 385-pound mark recently. The technique is the key though and that’s where Keller is really focusing his efforts. “I always thought when I came to this position that strength would be the more important thing, but weight and technique definitely out do that easily,” Keller said. “A couple guys on the offensive line won’t even be stronger guys, but their technique is so good it doesn’t matter too much. I am trying to work on technique.” When Keller does master the blocking skills, he could be one of the more dangerous tight ends around. He’s already proven his receiving skills and his 6-10 high jump in high school showed his athleticism. Quarterback Kyle Orton saw his impressive 24-yard catch and run against Ball State, in which Keller juked and spun his way to the 9-yard line, and thinks Keller has the ability to become a star in the Big Ten. “He should be able to,” Orton said. “He’s probably got more physical skills Tom Campbell Redshirt freshman Dustin Keller has the tools to become a stellar Big Ten tight end and has shown flashes of his talent in 2004. than any tight end in the conference with his great athleticism. He should grow into a big-time tight end and if he keeps on working hard, he probably will be.” If he does reach that “big-time” status, Keller said he will have no regrets that it isn’t at his former position. In fact, the lightspoken and affable Keller draws the same satisfaction from a hole-creating block as he did from a game-breaking catch. “If you make a big block for a running back, or a quarterback or wide receiver that’s a key block in picking up yards it definitely makes you feel real good,” Keller said. “You don’t really get recognized the way the running backs will, but you know. You don’t need other people telling you all of that. You know that you helped open that up and so does the running back.” j Doug Elish is a freelance contributor for Gold & Black Illustrated and GoldandBlack.com. GOLD & BLACK ILLUSTRATED • VOLUME 15, ISSUE 5 • 22 GoldandBlack.com
Page 1 and 2: The Authority On Purdue Athletics w
Page 3 and 4: Volume 15, Issue 5 Oct. 8, 2004 A P
Page 5 and 6: FROM PUBLISHER ALAN KARPICK NOW THI
Page 7: Kyle Ingraham (nine yards), and wit
Page 10 and 11: effort against the Irish compared t
Page 12 and 13: Q&A WITH OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR JIM
Page 14 and 15: O DOUBT Photos by Tom Campbell HE D
Page 16 and 17: Each week the Maniacs are asked to
Page 18 and 19: NO. 15 PURDUE 41, NOTRE DAME 16 Wha
Page 22 and 23: BY DOUG GRIFFITHS DGriffiths@Goldan
Page 24 and 25: BY ALAN KARPICK AKarpick@GoldandBla
Page 26 and 27: Purdue Freshman Parrissa Eyorokon l

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