Recruits impacted by Hazell's dismissal at Purdue
After a season spent on the hot seat, Darrell Hazell was officially dismissed by Purdue on Sunday after starting the season 3-3. He was 9-33 in three-plus seasons. Although recruiting under Hazell was notoriously ineffective and poorly executed, the coaching shake up in West Lafayette will still reverberate around the recruiting world. Here are five recruits with whom the change will play a role.
Background: White named a top three of Purdue, Indiana and Pittsburgh earlier this month. Of those three, only Purdue has offered the four-star prospect. White has been mired in a tug-of-war over what position he will play in college and that has stunted his recruiting progress and college interest. Purdue was recruiting him to play safety, but his abilities at running back could be more appealing for a new coaching staff.
Schools affected: Pittsburgh, Indiana
Although Pittsburgh and Indiana have yet to offer, both schools continue to recruit White and could come through with an offer in the future. If it takes Purdue an extended time to hire their next head coach – say, after the season has concluded – and neither Pitt or Indiana offer in the next few weeks, I would look for White to reexamine some earlier offers, possibly Boston College.
Background: Potts’ offer list is smaller than one would expect from a Rivals250 prospect, but Purdue was in early on Potts with one of his first three offers. The Boilermakers, however, barely factored in since and in the conversations I have had with him over the last year, I do not recall them being mentioned. If an aggressive coach comes into West Lafayette and puts the full court press on Potts, though, their proximity to his home and a strong sales pitch could put them back in the game.
Schools affected: Indiana, Nebraska
Purdue’s in-state Big Ten rival, Indiana, is considered the team to beat at this stage of Potts’ recruitment, but the Indianapolis-area prospect is still pretty open. Nebraska offered at the beginning of August and has become a priority visit for Potts. If Purdue does get back into this race, these are the two schools which would have the most to lose.
Background: The most highly regarded of Purdue’s verbal commits, Sipe is a top 25-ranked pro-style quarterback in the 2017 class. As of this writing Sipe has not commented on Hazell’s dismissal, but he did list the former Boilermaker head man as a positive factor when he committed this past June. Purdue also has a quarterback commitment from legacy recruit Griffin Alstott in the 2017 class.
Schools affected: Boise State
Quarterback recruiting for most schools is done, but injuries, de-commitments and additional needs do arise over the course of a season, and Sipe would be an attractive option for a team looking to add a passer late. Boise State had offered and was a strong contender for Sipe before his commitment to Purdue, though the Broncos did land a commitment from Arizona three-star quarterback Chase Cord just two weeks prior to Sipe’s decision.
Background: When talking about the biggest recruiting opportunities in the Midwest, Ellison sticks out as a prospect a new Big Ten coaching staff should definitely evaluate. Injured for the majority of his junior season, Ellison went under the radar of college coaches until he started dominating the offseason camp scene. A big back who also has the ability to be a weapon as a receiver out of the backfield, Ellison could fit a lot of offensive schemes.
Schools affected: Indiana, Miami (Ohio), Toledo
By the time Ellison was able to show what he had, most college programs were already well into their running back recruiting plan and/or had what they wanted at the position. His offers right now are from Mid-American Conference schools. Indiana and others are maintaining contact, but even though Purdue does have a running back commitment from Tennessee three-star Antwuan Branch, a new staff would be wise to check out Ellison.
Background: Mackey committed to Purdue in August, sight unseen, and his relationship with the coaching staff was cited as the primary reason for the pledge. In the immediate aftermath of Hazell’s dismissal, Massey has come out and assured that his commitment to the Boilermakers remains intact, but since he has still not visited West Lafayette and the primary reason for his commitment no longer exists at the school, he is certainly one to watch.
Schools affected: Iowa State, UCF
A month before he announced his commitment to Purdue, Massey listed a top eight that included in-state schools, Power Five schools and Group of Five schools. He specifically mentioned Iowa State at that time as a team standing out, and the Cyclones pursued him throughout. UCF, being one of his most recent offers, also is a candidate to gain from Purdue’s coaching change if Massey backs away from his commitment.
