So to put this class in perspective...
Purdue, with Bell, moved up one spot to be ranked 24th for the 2019 class. That may possibly drop as some schools get late commitments and Purdue is full. They're 5th in the B1G, and likely to stay there as #6 [MSU] and #7 [UW] don't really have much if any open offers listed as "warm" on 247 with higher ratings than Purdue's average player rating of 86.66.
Where does this rank historically?
Purdue has 5 incoming 4-star recruits. George Karlaftis is right on the edge of 5* (247 rates him 5* and #11 nationally, but his composite is only 4*). Based on the 247 "all time" number, I think that's the most they've ever had in a single year. I see a few years where I count about 3 4* recruits, but never 5.
- Looking at the "all-time" [i.e. since 2001], 3 of the incoming 2019 recruits would be in Purdue's top 10.
- A 4th, Rondale Moore from the 2018 class, is top-10.
- 4 of the 2019 recruits are top-11.
- 6 of the 2019 recruits are top-25, including Mershawn Rice who slips in as a 3* at #25.
- Putting 2018 and 2019 classes together, 13 of Purdue's best 50 recruits since 2001 come from those two classes.
- 24 of Purdue's best 100 recruits have come from 2018/19 classes.
Jeff Brohm has excited fans, but after two years sits at a relatively pedestrian 13-13 record. One might ask why Purdue would pony up $6M per year, a top-10 salary nationally, to keep a 13-12 [at the time] around?
Well, it's because they see what's coming in. After Hazell left the cupboard bare, 13-13 in his first two years was actually a pretty good record. And if he can do that with Hazell-era talent, we think what he can do with the talent coming in will be worth it.
