Indianapolis (Ind.) Pike junior cornerback Josh Hayes picked up his first offer last week and it came from the in-state Purdue Boilermakers.

"We were at practice and (Pike) coach (Derek) Moyers said, 'I want you to make a phone call. Purdue wants to offer you a scholarship,'" Hayes recalled. "We called them and I was pretty excited about it. I didn't think it was going to come this early. I thought it was going to come at the end of the season or during the off-season."

The 6-foot, 170-pound Hayes spoke directly with Purdue head coach Darrell Hazell when he learned about his offer from the Boilermakers.

"He likes my height, my weight and my ball skills," Hayes said. "He said I could be special up there."

Hayes' familiarity about Purdue is still in its infancy, but he does have a base of knowledge on the program.

"I visited them with my 7-on-7 team during the summer," Hayes said. "We went up there and checked out their facilities. I liked it a lot and their coaches were real cool. I got a chance to talk to them while I was down there."

Pike has produced a number of Division I prospects over the years, including four-star wide receiver Dominique Booth in the 2014 class, with whom Hayes played alongside last season.

"(Booth) always told me it was going to come, just wait on it and stay humble," Hayes said. "I went against him a lot and it helped me a lot because he was one of the best wide receivers in the state. It was a good opportunity for me."

Besides Purdue, Hayes has been hearing from schools like Michigan State, Wisconsin, Louisville, Ball State and Illinois. He has not made any college game visits this fall, but said he could be in attendance when Purdue hosts Wisconsin on Nov. 8.

Pike ended their season with a 4-6 record after falling in the sectionals last weekend to Indianapolis Ben Davis.