Purdue 2012 Recruiting

Purdue Boilermakers 2012 ... Head Coach: Danny Hope

Purdue Boilermakers  

2011 Record: 7-6

Sep. 3 Middle Tenn W 27-24
Sep. 10 at Rice L 24-22
Sep. 17 SE Missouri St W 59-0
Sep. 24 OPEN DATE
Oct. 1 Notre Dame L 38-10
Oct. 8 Minnesota W 45-17
Oct. 15 at Penn State L 23-18
Oct. 22 Illinois W 21-14
Oct. 29 at Michigan L 36-14
Nov. 5 at Wisconsin L 62-17
Nov. 12 Ohio State W 26-23 OT
Nov. 19 Iowa L 31-21
Nov. 26 at Indiana W 33-25
Little Caesars Bowl
Dec. 27 Western Michigan W 37-32

2010 CFN Prediction: 6-6
2010 Record: 4-8

Sept. 4 at Notre Dame L 23-12
Sept. 11 W. Illinois W 31-21
Sept. 18 Ball State W 24-13
Sept. 25 Toledo L 31-20
Oct. 2 OPEN DATE
Oct. 9 at Northwestern W 20-17
Oct. 16 Minnesota W 28-17
Oct. 23 at Ohio State L 49-0
Oct. 30 at Illinois L 44-10
Nov. 6 Wisconsin L 34-13
Nov. 13 Michigan L 27-16
Nov. 20 at Michigan St L 35-31
Nov. 27 Indiana L 34-31 OT
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 The Entire 2012 Recruiting Class

Top 5 Purdue Recruits To Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. OG Ryan Watson
6-3, 265, Scout.com 8th ranked, four-star guard. An offensive tackle for this Good Counsel team, Watson projects inside on the next level because of his size. He is a punishing, technically sound, tenacious drive blocker. He is a good athlete who can make a turn upfield on a pull block to pick drive a linebacker. Very good change of direction for an offensive lineman, adept at getting to the second level and quick off the line of scrimmage.

2. PK Paul Griggs
6-1, 190, Scout.com 3rd ranked, three-star kicker. Paul is a special talent. He is strong, athletic, and shows huge upside. A great competitor that will only continue to get better. One of the very best kickers in the nation.

3. OT Devin Smith
6-7, 310, Scout.com three-star JUCO transfer.

4. QB Bilal Marshall
6-2, 170, Scout.com 60th ranked, three-star quarterback. Talented QB prospect who threw for 1,358 yards and ran for 971 last season. He threw for 15 scores and ran for seven.

5. QB Austin Appleby
6-5, 225, Scout.com 62nd ranked, three-star quarterback. Three-sport star athlete at Hoover. 2010: All-Northeast Inland District Second-team ... Repository All-Stark County Honorable Mention ... All-Federal Second-team ... Was 93-of-187 passing for 1,427 yards and 14 TDs, 57 rushes for 18 yards and one TD.

The 2012 Class Was Heavy On... After years of mostly going after the defensive side, the coaching staff is trying to improve the offense. Danny Hope has a few nice quarterback prospects about to sign on, while the receiving corps is loaded with as many good options as the program has had in several years. Tight end will be the strength with Ryan Morris and JUCO transfer Greg Latta good enough to play right away. Ryan Watson is a terrific guard prospect and a huge get for down the road, while JUCO transfer Devin Smith is expected to see time at tackle now.

Team Concerns For 2012: Safety will require the most work with both Logan Link and Albert Evans gone, but big recruiting classes from 2009 and 2010 should boost up the secondary. The offensive line has to come up with two new starters on the left side and Nick Mondek at right guard. Carson Wiggs could be the rare drafted placekicker, but Paul Griggs is Scout.com’s No. 3 ranked prospect.

Looking Ahead To The 2012 Season: Shockingly, QB Robert Marve got another year of eligibility, but the offense should still be Caleb TerBush’s to fly. The 1-2 rushing punch of Ralph Bolden and Akeem Shavers should be among the Big Ten’s most productive if the line can replace three starters. Leading receiver Justin Siller is gone, but Antavian Edison and O.J. Ross are promising. The defense caught a huge break when DT Kawann Short chose to return for one more year to anchor a defensive front that should be the best in the Danny Hope era. The secondary loses both safeties but gets back top corner Ricardo Allen. Raheem Mostert led the nation in kickoff returns.

The 2011 Class Was Heavy On … Defensive linemen. The skill positions got some instant depth with JUCO transfer Akeem Shavers at running back and JUCO transfer tight end Sterling Carter, and Akeem Hunt ill be the team’s star back in the near future. Defensively, the success of recent Boilermaker linemen helped get Robert Kugler, the star of the class and a dangerous pass rushing prospect, while Randy Gregory could be a good one with time in the weight room. 315-pound Michael Rouse will someday be the anchor of the defensive front.

2010 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 48. That Class Was Heavy On ... Defensive backs. Head coach Danny Hope went big on the defensive linemen last year, and this year he came up with a big class of defensive backs signing seven including Ricardo Allen, a good corner who might be too good to keep on the bench as a freshman. Out of all the defensive backs brought in, only one true safety, E.J. Johnson, was signed. It's Purdue, so the offense is never going to be ignored and Hope brought in QB Sean Robinson, a big, athletic passer, and a good receiver in O.J. Ross.

2009 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 64. That Class Was Heavy On ... defensive linemen. Purdue hasn’t stopped anyone’s running game in a few years, and now it’s time to give it a try. That’s not to say there haven’t been good linemen flowing through the program, but most of the stars have been pass rushers. JUCO transfer Kris Cooke should be an instant upgrade for the interior, while Eric McDaniel and Brandon Taylor will be the foundation for future defenses. Xavier Melton and Cody Davis aren’t bad tackle prospects, either.

Little Caesars Bowl
Purdue 37 … Western Michigan 32
- CFN Thoughts on the Game

Purdue: The Boilermaker defense forced seven turnovers and recovered two onside kicks. … Caleb TerBush completed 8-of-13 passes for 101 yards and a score, and Robert Marve completed 6-of-7 throws for 76 yards and a touchdown. … Akeem Shavers led the team with 149 yards on 22 carries. … Gary Bush caught six passes for 90 yards and a score. … Raheem Mostert return two kickoffs for 124 yards with a 99-yard score. … Joe Holland led the team with nine tackles, two tackles for loss, and three broken up passes. … DE Gerald Gooden made three tackles, a tackle for loss, two picks, a sack, and a forced fumble.

Western Michigan: The Broncos outgained Purdue 485 to 442. … WR Jordan White caught 13 passes for 265 yards and a score. … Alex Carder completed 31-of-57 passes for 439 yards and three touchdowns with four picks. He also led the team with 17 rushing yards on 14 attempts. … Aaron Winchester led the team with 12 tackles with a forced fumble and a tackle for loss. (AP) Purdue quarterback Caleb TerBush took the final snap, sprinted to the sideline and handed the football to coach Danny Hope.

Perhaps empowered by getting a contract extension recently, Hope made the gutsy decision to go for two onside kicks in the first half and both gambles paid off for the Boilermakers in a 37-32 win over Western Michigan on Tuesday night in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl.

Raheem Mostert returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown, third-string running back Reggie Pegram scored the first two TDs of his career and Carson Wiggs made two field goals to give the Boilermakers a 27-15 lead at halftime.

Wiggs also recovered one of his onside kicks, both of which he tapped toward a sideline after running at full speed as if he was trying to boot the ball deep.

Purdue (7-6) had another 12-point lead early in the fourth quarter, but the Big Ten team had to hold on for the win against the Mid-American Conference program.

The Broncos (7-6) got the ball with a chance to go ahead, but their comeback hopes ended when quarterback Alex Carder fumbled for his fifth turnover with just under 2 minutes left.

Ryan Russell forced the final fumble and Bruce Gaston recovered to seal the win in a game that entertained 46,177 fans inside the home of the Detroit Lions.

The Boilermakers played in a bowl for the first time since 2007, when they beat Central Michigan - also in Detroit.

Western Michigan fell to 0-5 in postseason play.

Purdue's Akeem Shavers ran for a career-high 148 yards on 22 carries, filling in for the injured Ralph Bolden, and was named the game's MVP.

TerBush was 8 of 13 for 101 yards with a 33-yard touchdown pass to Gary Bush midway through the third quarter that put Purdue up 34-18. Robert Marve was 6 of 7 for 76 yards with a 1-yard scoring pass to Pegram in the first quarter.

Purdue defensive end Gerald Gooden had two of his team's four interceptions, and gave back one of those two turnovers to the Broncos in a game filled with miscues and missed opportunities for both teams.

Western Michigan's star receiver, Jordan White, who drew at least one NFL scout to watch him, caught 13 passes for 249 yards and a score.

Carder was 31 of 57 for 413 yards with three TDs - also connecting with Josh Schaffer and Chleb Ravenell for scores. But the junior matched a career high with four interceptions and gave up the ball a fifth time to end the Broncos' chances to rally for the victory in their homestate in front of many of their fans.

Purdue will go back across the border to Indiana happy, especially school officials who added two years to Hope's deal last week to keep him under contract through 2016.

Nov. 26 Purdue 33 … at Indiana 25  

Nov. 19 Iowa 31 … at Purdue 21
CFN Analysis: Purdue couldn’t build on the win over Ohio State with little from the running game and not enough from the quarterbacks to pick up the slack. Robert Marve struggled after looking so sharp against the Buckeyes, completing just 7-of-18 passes for 95 yards and two picks. … The defense couldn’t stop anything the Hawkeyes wanted to do in the second half, and the offense couldn’t score until it was too late. There wasn’t any consistency; nothing was working in the second half. .... The run defense couldn’t stop Marcus Coker and the secondary couldn’t figure out how to slow down Marvin McNutt, giving up a 51-yard scoring pass in the fourth that put the game away. … There’s still time to go bowling, but it’ll take a win over Indiana on the road to do it. After losing three of their last four games, a loss to the Hoosiers would be a disastrous way to close. 

Nov. 12 at Purdue 26 … Ohio State 23 OT
CFN Analysis: That’s how you respond. Purdue bounced back from being embarrassed by Wisconsin to come up with the biggest win of the Danny Hope era. Just when it seemed like the Buckeyes had the game won in the final moments, the blocked extra point kept the game and the season alive. This is one resilient team. … That’s the Robert Marve Purdue was hoping to get, completing 10-of-13 passes for 94 yards and an interception. … The run defense tackled night-and-day better than it did against Wisconsin. The secondary was terrific at bringing the help. … All it’ll take now is a win over either Iowa at home or Indiana to go bowling. Win both, and finishing tied for second in the Leaders is possible.  

Nov. 5 at Wisconsin 62 … Purdue 17
CFN Analysis: Purdue started out well, but it had to deal with a Badger team fired up to be back home and with an offense with everything working. For the second straight week, the Boilermaker run defense wasn’t close, with Michigan’s offensive line dominating two weeks ago and Wisconsin’s front five rolling at will this week. With Ohio State up next, the Purdue offense has to control the ball and the clock to keep the defense off the field. Against Wisconsin, Purdue had the ball for just over 23 minutes and only converted 2-of-10 third down chances. Caleb TerBush once again showed he has a good enough arm to push the ball down the field, but the biggest pass plays mostly came of little dump off passes.

Oct. 29 at Michigan 36 … Purdue 14
CFN Analysis: A step slow on defense, and with the back seven taking too many poor angles, Michigan ran wild with big dash after big dash. The Boilermaker offense did a nice job of hitting the home run early on a 48-yard Gary Bush touchdown catch, but the attack was shut down cold from then on. The Wolverines never gave Purdue a chance to get into any sort of a groove, but penalties and misfires on third downs didn’t help the cause. To have any chance against Wisconsin next week, the offense has to do a far better job of controlling the ball and have to find some sort of a running game that wasn’t there in Ann Arbor. 

Oct. 22 at Purdue 21 … Illinois 14
CFN Analysis: The offense didn’t exactly shine, struggling to get too much going through the air, and running for just 126 yards, but several players got in the mix with eight different players getting carries and eight catching passes, and the defense held on when it had to. The D clamped down on A.J. Jenkins and didn’t allow the Illini running game to work, holding it to 121 yards and two scores. Ricardo Allen made ten tackles and a pick while Joe Holland and Dwayne Beckford starred with 11 stops. It might have been a shaky second half, but this was the big win the program needed to keep bowl hopes alive. Purdue has alternated between wins and losses, but it’s going to be tough to break through that with road games at Michigan and Wisconsin up next.  

Oct. 15 at Penn State 23 … Purdue 18
CFN Analysis: Purdue had its chances, but the passing game never clicked and missed kicks were costly, but basically, it was a loss in a relatively dead even game. Purdue has now followed each win with a loss to get to 3-3 – Illinois is up next – but to go on any sort of a run, the passing game has to be better. Penn State’s defense is great, and Caleb TerBush threw for 162 yards with a touchdown and two picks, but it was Ralph Bolden and Akeem Shavers running that paced the offense. Three interceptions were a problem, but the defense was able to make up for most of the mistakes until the final pick, but going forward, winning the turnover margin is going to be a must if the quarterback play isn’t going to be consistent. If nothing else, TerBush and Robert Marve can’t turn the ball over. 

Oct. 8 at Purdue 45 … Minnesota 17
CFN Analysis: Finally, everything clicked liked it’s supposed to. Blowing up SE Missouri State is one thing, but after the lousy performance against Notre Dame, coming out rolling from the start and blowing up Minnesota for a 31-0 first half lead was exactly what the team needed. Nine different players got carries with Akeem Shavers running well, but Ralph Bolden still can’t get on track running for just 33 yards on 12 carries. The defense never let the game get interesting, and while there was a letdown in the second half, it didn’t matter. Minnesota might be struggling, but allowing just 213 yards and forcing three turnovers is a big plus going into a run of three road games in four weeks starting at Penn State.  

Oct. 1 Notre Dame 38 ... at Purdue 10
CFN Analysis: Purdue didn’t have the firepower to keep up. The 13 penalties for 118 yards were part of the problem, but the offense couldn’t handle the Irish defensive front and couldn’t get enough going on the ground early to take control of the game. Down 35-3 in the fourth, all the Boilermakers could do was bomb away and get a cosmetic touchdown. The run defense didn’t hold up and the secondary couldn’t come up with a key stop, but the biggest problem was an offense that didn’t do anything of significance with Robert Marve under center. Fortunately, Minnesota is up next to make everything all better. 

Sept. 17 at Purdue 59 … SE Missouri State 0
CFN Analysis: Finally, the Boilermakers came up with an easy, drama-free win. The big news is the play of Robert Marve, who got his feet wet after returning from a knee injury to complete 7-of-8 passes for 91 yards and a touchdowns, while Caleb TerBush wasn’t bad, either, completed 14-of-17 passes for 143 yards and a score. The defense was dominant against an overmatched offense and got a change to plug in several of the backups for long stretches. As bad as things have been at times over the first two weeks, the Boilermakers are still 2-1 going into the Notre Dame game. If the ground game can continue to work, and if Marve is healthy and back to being Marve, there’s a chance to pull off the upset. 

Sept. 10 at Rice 24 ... Purdue 22
CFN Analysis: Injuries have been a problem again this year for Purdue, but losing to Rice is still inexcusable for a team with enough talent on defense to be far, far tighter. Yes, being down to Caleb TerBush at quarterback is bad, but he’s not getting any time to work whatsoever. The offensive line has been awful in pass protection and the downfield passing attack has been non-existent with TerBush needing to rush things. Even with all the problems, the Boilermakers were still in a position to win the game, but again, the line couldn’t block on the final field goal attempt. With SE Missouri State up next, Purdue will get to 2-1 before hosting Notre Dame, but the offense has to be more efficient and more effective, and the secondary has to be far tighter, or the Irish will win by 30.

Sept. 3 at Purdue 27 … Middle Tennessee 24
CFN Analysis: After all the injury problems and all the issues Purdue has had, it needed a break, and it got it when Malcolm Beyah came within a whisker of coming up with a game-winning touchdown catch. The blocked kick to seal the victory was the signature moment, but it shouldn’t have come down to that. The Boilermaker secondary struggled to hold the Blue Raider passing game in check and the run defense was fine, but wasn’t special. The offense did its job with Caleb TerBush fine, completing 19-of-33 passes for 219 yards and two scores with a pick, and Ralph Bolden back to form running for 120 yards on 17 carries. Rice can throw the ball, and Purdue has to use that game and the SE Missouri game to stop the penalties – after committing 11 for 95 yards and needing to get more aggressive on defense and generate more pressure before dealing with Notre Dame. 

The 2011 Recruiting Class Is Heavy On … Defensive linemen. The skill positions got some instant depth with JUCO transfer Akeem Shavers at running back and JUCO transfer tight end Sterling Carter, and Akeem Hunt ill be the team’s star back in the near future. Defensively, the success of recent Boilermaker linemen helped get Robert Kugler, the star of the class and a dangerous pass rushing prospect, while Randy Gregory could be a good one with time in the weight room. 315-pound Michael Rouse will someday be the anchor of the defensive front.

Five Purdue Recruits You Should Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. TE Robert Kugler
6-3, 235, Scout.com’s 23rd ranked defensive end. Runs very crisp and precise routes. Makes sure to keep good separation between linebackers and safeties and finds soft spots in zone coverages. Very good hands and breaks tackles in the open field. Very good technique as a run blocker. Explodes from lower body and gets his hands into the defender's pad level. Uses leverage and angles really well and can get out to the second level or seal the edge. Complete tight end prospect.

2. LB Armstead Williams
6-3, 205, Scout.com’s 58th ranked outside linebacker. Williams plays both sides of the ball for his Gateway team. At running back, he shows good hands out of the backfield and runs with power. From his outside linebacker position, he shows a good change of direction and is good at reading plays. Has long arms and a good frame, has improved from his junior to senior season in being more physical and taking on blocks.

3. RB Akeem Hunt
5-10, 177, Scout.com’s 58th ranked running back.

4. RB Akeem Shavers
5-11, 200, two-star JUCO transfer.

5. TE Sterling Carter
6-5, 240, two-star JUCO transfer.

2011 Entire Recruiting Class
Sterling Carter TE 6-5 240 Torrance, Calif./Los Angeles Harbor College
Brandon Cottom ATH 6-2 240 Newton, Pa./Council Rock North HS
Doug Gentry RB/ATH 6-0 190 Mexia, Texas/Mexia HS
Randy Gregory DE 6-4 210 Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern HS
Akeem Hunt RB/ATH 5-10 170 Covington, Ga./Newton HS
Kaulana Judd LB 6-2 230 Waemia, Hawaii/Fullerton College
Robert Kugler TE/L 6-3 250 Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny HS
Shane Mikesky WR 6-3 195 Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville HS
Jalani Phillips LB/S 6-4 255 Warner Robbins, Ga./Houston County HS
Raheem Mostert WR/ATH 5-11 180 New Smyrna Beach, Fla./ New Smyrna Beach HS
Taylor Richards DB 5-10 180 Lake Mary, Fla./Lake Mary HS
Michael Rouse III DT 6-4 310 Flossmoor, Ill./Homewood Flossmoor HS
Jesse Schmitt LS 6-2 225 Louisville, Ky./Trinty HS
Akeem Shavers RB 6-0 200 Redwater, Texas/Tyler JC
Armstead Williams LB 6-3 210 Monroeville, Pa./Gateway HS
Frankie Williams DB/ATH 5-9 175 Tampa, Fla./Robinson HS