Latest news with #Purdue
Indianapolis Star
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Purdue football found Midwestern mountain men, made them 2026 recruiting priority
WEST LAFAYETTE — Purdue football director of recruiting Brad Odom noticed a change in topography when moving from UNLV to West Lafayette. He and the rest of his brother Barry's staff left behind the mountains of the Nevada desert. In Indiana, though, they found more mountainous men. 'We struggled to find bigger guys in Nevada,' Brad Odom said. 'Here, we were shocked at the size of guys in the '26 and '27 class. Big people who can run fast — they're hard to find.' That conclusion may be more anecdotal than factual. It cannot be denied, though, that Purdue's staff prioritized offensive and defensive line recruiting for a crucial 2026 recruiting class. As of Monday, the trenches account for essentially half of the 19 commitments in the class. That includes five defensive tackles or edge rushers and four offensive linemen. Per the On3/Rivals industry rankings, Purdue's four highest-rated commits are linemen. (Prior to four-star defensive lineman Josiah Hope's flip to Louisville last week, they comprised the top five.) That may become an annual trend. "Offensive line and defensive line have to be a priority every year,' said Jason Simmons, Purdue's director of high school recruiting. 'If you're going to win games in the Big Ten, you have to win up front.' A great summer beach read: Our book on Purdue basketball's 2024 FInal Four run Thanks to the transfer portal, if a program does not completely address a positional need in conventional recruiting, it can back-fill down the road. Yet as Purdue's staff sees it, the supply and demand realities of the transfer portal necessitate an emphasis on high school linemen. Other than quarterbacks, offensive and defensive line talent tends to cost more — name, image and likeness guarantees in the past, revenue share allotment going forward. With teams now trying to get bang for their revenue-sharing bucks, developing and retaining big bodies is more economically efficient. 'There's a ton of strategy that goes into the overall budget,' general manager Brandon Lee said. 'We have to find the correct balance of high school recruiting and hitting the portal, whether that's from a roster management standpoint or, in this language we're mentioning, a revenue share and NIL perspective.' Chicago Marist offensive lineman Rico Schreiber became the first 2026 commit Feb. 5. New Palestine's Brock Brownfield and Lawrence Central's James Williams — three-star offensive line prospects considered top 10 in-state talents regardless of position —both committed before the end of May. Insider: Why this unheralded Lawrence Central OL could have '7-year NFL career' after playing at Purdue Brad Odom said offensive line coach Vince Vice's recruiting charisma deserves a lot of that credit. Yet it's not a coincidence that the class went so heavy on linemen so early. Purdue's staff felt an urgency to strike fast at those positions. 'It's a position group that's really sped up in terms of the recruiting calendar,' Simmons said of the offensive line in particular. He said it has begun to resemble the early commitment schedule on which quarterbacks almost exclusively used to operate. "Everybody is going to take one guy and they're in a hurry to get their guy," he continued. "Offensive line is quickly becoming that way as well.' Purdue's staff did not focus on easy gets to fulfill its needs up front. It had to win real battles for some highly recruited players. For a brief period, Purdue held a commitment from Hope, a Kentuckian, over offers from Wisconsin and LSU, as well as the in-state Wildcats and Louisville. Notre Dame, Tennessee and IU were 2024 playoff teams pursuing Ohio defensive lineman Jamarcus Whyce, but he committed to the Boilermakers. Georgia edge rusher Katrell Webb picked Purdue over Florida State, Miami, Michigan and a good chunk of the SEC. Operation move: How Barry Odom established Purdue football recruiting base, priorities after 1,800 mile move Whyce and Webb are now the two highest-rated players in Purdue's class, per those On3/Rivals rankings. As with all football prospects, those recruitments will continue right up to signing day. The emphasis on lineman was not merely a numbers game, though. Odom played and coached the front seven before becoming a head coach. Offensive coordinator Josh Henson has an offensive line background. The makeup of the still-in-process 2026 recruiting class may reflect the identity of the program for years to come. 'We're going to run the football,' Brad Odom said. 'Football is a game of taking someone's body and putting it somewhere they don't want to be against their will. In order to do that, you have to have big, strong offensive linemen.'
a day ago
- Sport
Jets QB Justin Fields returns to team drills at training camp after toe injury
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields returned to team drills Monday, four days after dislocating a toe on his right foot. Fields participated in 7-on-7 drills at training camp Saturday as the team eased him back into practice. Coach Aaron Glenn had said Fields had 'a ways to go' before fully returning. But after a day off Sunday, Fields ran the offense during 11-on-11 drills — and on the first day this summer the Jets wore pads. 'He was limited, but he was limited the way that we want him to be limited,' Glenn said after practice. 'He made some good throws out there. And again, when Justin gets on the field, I mean, we're going to let him be who he is." Glenn wouldn't specify what he meant when he said Fields was 'limited' and was asked if perhaps the team doesn't want him to run as much as he normally would. 'Just limit him the way we want him to be limited,' Glenn said. 'I'll just keep it at that.' Fields sent Jets fans and social media into a frenzy last Thursday when he dislocated a toe on his right foot early in practice. He was carted from the field to the facility, where he had multiple tests before the team announced the diagnosis — relieving fears that it could be an even more significant injury. After sitting out completely on Friday, Fields threw passes in 7-on-7 drills Saturday and showed no signs of his injured foot ailing him. His first pass in team drills Monday was batted down at the line of scrimmage by Byron Cowart, but Fields had an otherwise solid practice session. 'There are some things that he did today that I was very pleased with," Glenn said. "But there's also some things he's got to get better at, too. He knows that.' Rookie center Gus Hartwig left late in practice with what Glenn said was a knee injury that was being evaluated. Hartwig, signed as an undrafted free agent out of Purdue, went down during team drills and stayed down for several minutes as he was examined on the field. Several teammates took a knee around him before he was able to get up and gingerly walk under his own power to the injury tent. Byron Cowart is in his seventh NFL season and now with his seventh team after signing with the Jets as a free agent in March. After stops with New England, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Houston, Miami and Chicago, the 29-year-old Cowart is excited about his defensive linemates in New York. He looks around at the likes of Quinnen Williams, Will McDonald and Micheal Clemons and can't help but think of a group of superheroes. 'I feel like I'm in 'The Avengers' right now,' a smiling Cowart said. "I've got Will to my left, I've got Quinnen, Mike and there's a lot of guys around me. The guys in the secondary, the linebackers behind me. 'You've seen the new 'Superman' movie? There's a new villain, he was trying to figure out his powers and what is he good at? So I said that's what I'm trying to figure out — how can I help you guys? It's dope being around everybody flying around.'
Indianapolis Star
a day ago
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
USC coach Lincoln Riley expresses excitement to play Purdue football
USC lost its offensive coordinator to Purdue in the offseason. The Trojans open Big Ten play at Purdue.
Forbes
a day ago
- Business
- Forbes
America's Heartland Responds To AI
Illustrated pictorial map of Midwest United States. Includes Wisconsin, Michigan, Missouri, ... More Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio. Vector Illustration. There's a romantic view of the 'heartland of America' that casts it as a place contrasted with the high-tech east and west coasts of the country - a place where life is different, where old-fashioned values may hold sway, and traditional practices prevail. But these days, it seems like this area of the country is opening up its hearts and minds to artificial intelligence. There are all kinds of indicators that AI is catching on in the American Midwest and other places that have traditionally been behind the curve when it comes to technology. A Building Boom One example is the massive investment in automated factories in places like Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana – where, for example, automated John Deere tractors are pumped off of manufacturing lines, and facilities use AI for predictive maintenance and quality control. Then there's also better workforce development at places like University of Michigan and Purdue, and other regional schools. Hyperscaler facilities are being built in places like Cincinnati – data centers are popping up in areas of Ohio and Pennsylvania that are far from where the original titans of industry pioneered the personal computer and related innovations in cities like Palo Alto and across the Simi Valley in southern California. AWS is planning a $7.8 billion investment in Ohio. That's just one example of how this is working out for Midwestern cities. 'The new data centers will contain computer servers, data storage drives, networking equipment, and other forms of technology infrastructure used to power cloud computing, including artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning,' explains a press release from Ohio governor Mike DeWine, in conjunction with the state Department of Development and other partners. This promises to breathe life into the regional economy, and will probably showcase the area's communities to outsiders in new ways. The Benefits of Midwestern AI As analysts see an 'AI gold rush' to the Midwest, experts are coming up with various reasons why companies are making these moves. It's not just about money and cheaper real estate. As writer Ryan Kelsey points out in an article at Centergrid, there are nuclear and hydroelectric energy systems in place in these areas, and more land and water for infrastructure design. The temperate climate is also another plus. Kelsey also explains how Cincinnati is a particular hub for national data because of its location. 'Cincinnati lies within 600 miles of 60% of the U.S. population, making it an ideal location for low-latency AI applications that need to serve users across the country quickly,' Kelsey writes. 'The city is already a major internet hub with multiple fiber providers and direct connections to national backbone networks. This existing infrastructure can be leveraged immediately, rather than built from scratch.' Studies on Heartland Adoption Recently, an organization called Heartland Forward commissioned two studies, one in June 2024, and another one in April 2025, on AI in the heartland. How did things change? Researchers reported 34% of respondents interested in June, and 68% in April, a doubling of positivity around the tech. Study writers characterize this as 'more than just a passing curiosity' and note that the biggest swell of enthusiasm was in respondents from adults aged 35 to 44. On the other hand, a majority reported anxiety about AI in the workplace. However, a majority of surveyed workers indicated they want employers to offer training. The study goes into policy and public sentiment, too. All of this is suggestive of changes across this section of America. It may be that the AI revolution is going to supercharge the economies in places like Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Youngstown, which could cause some chagrin for a new generation who equates the name of the state, Ohio, as a slang term for backwardness. The rust belt may become a new Silicon Valley, which would boost the quality of life for millions of Americans living in that area. We'll see how this shakes out as we continue to move through 2025. The first half of this year has been the focus of breakneck development and probably part of the cusp of the critical mass point for exponential AI. That's only going to continue as time goes on.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Why Ryan Walters' former boss thinks he failed with Purdue football
Before Purdue hired Ryan Walters as head coach, he was a defensive coordinator under Bret Bielema at Illinois.
