Purdue gets commitment from Chicagoland LB

Hoffman Estates (Ill.) linebacker Jaylan Alexander has been steadily adding to his offer list throughout the spring, but the Chicagoland prospect has been waiting on a tender from a Big Ten program. On Monday that offer came, and Alexander wasted no time accepting it.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Alexander has an offer list that includes much of the Mid-American Conference as well as programs like Western Kentucky and Wyoming. A Big Ten offer, though, was his dream, and he traveled down to West Lafayette this past weekend to attempt to earn one with Purdue at their first summer camp of the month. The Boilermakers did not offer Alexander immediately after the camp, telling him they wanted him to think about what Purdue had to offer. When the offer came Monday afternoon, Alexander

IN HIS WORDS

“They said they just wanted to see me work out at camp. So, I went to camp, put on a show and I guess they really liked it. They said I have great agility, great hips and I am a playmaker.

“When I got there it was just a good vibe for me. I really liked everything about the place. The campus was nice, the coaches were cool, the energy level was just exciting and I loved Purdue. It is a great school.”

RIVALS’ REACTION

The 6-foot-1, 225-pound Alexander worked out at, and is being recruited for, the WILL linebacker position at Purdue. They had been evaluating the Chicagoland linebacker since early in the spring and had a good feel for his game coming into camp. He is a two-way athlete for Hoffman Estates, registering nearly 60 receptions for almost 800 yards and seven touchdowns as a junior, but it is a linebacker where most of his college attention came from. He tallied 73 tackles and five sacks from that position last fall.