May 26 update

Vero Beach (Fla.) safety Larry Franklin tells Cajun Redzone that he has four scholarship offers, including one from the Boilermakers. His other offers are Wisconsin, Memphis and Louisiana-Lafayette.

Franklin is 6-2, 190 pounds and had 87 tackles last season. He was named to Florida's Pre-Spring top 100 athletes by SunStateFootball.com.

"Coach Lou Anarumo talked to me about their academics," Franklin told the Cajun Redzone. "They have outstanding academics, and he said the football program is ready to compete for the Big 10 Championship."

May 21 update

Cornerback Jared Singletary from Clay High School in Florida has an offer from Purdue, according to scout.com.

Marshall has also offered the 5-10, 170-pound Singletary.
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Mike Carmin/Laf. J and C

Attempts to locate an opponent for the John Wooden Tradition have come up empty for a second consecutive season, prompting the Purdue men's and women's basketball program to join for forces for an Indianapolis-based Boilermaker BlockBuster.

It's unfortunate that the Wooden has become so difficult to schedule.

Purdue-Butler would have been a perfect matchup for the 2010-2011 season, but the Bulldogs' schedule wouldn't permit a Dec. 18 game in Conseco Fieldhouse, so that idea fell apart.

So, the Purdue men will play Indiana State on Dec. 18 in Conseco, and the women will battle Auburn.

It's probably the best alternative for what has become a scheduling headache for the Purdue men.

It appears the BlockBuster will be a one-year thing.

After that, who knows what will happen with the Wooden Tradition.

For now, it may be an event that simply fades away. That's a real shame.
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Jeff Washburn/Laf. J and C

MAy 21 update

Cornerback Jared Singletary from Clay High School in Florida has an offer from Purdue, according to scout.com. Marshall has also offered the 5-10, 170-pound Singletary.

May 17 update

A few more players who have scholarship offers from Purdue have emerged.

Pottstown, Pa., cornerback Terrell Chestnut tells scout.com that the Boilermakers are one three schools to offer recently. Purdue joins LSU and Virginia, bringing Chestnut's total to 16 scholarships. ... Tampa linebacker Ramik Wilson tells scout.com that the five schools he likes the most are Purdue, Iowa State, Rutgers, South Florida and Texas Tech. ... Linebacker Ryan Simmons (Cibolo, Texas/Steele) tells DuckTerritory.com that Purdue is among seven offers he's received. The others are Houston, Wake Forest, Iowa State, Stanford, Baylor, and Oregon. ... Atlanta cornerback Ronnie Harris told VolNation.com that the Boilermakers have made his early top five, along with Tennessee, Ole Miss, Louisville and South Carolina.

May 11 update

Another Pennsylvania prospect the Boilermakers are following is running back Ryan Brumfield, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Brumfield attends Owens J. Roberts High School. He's rushed for 5,745 yards and 69 touchdowns in three seasons.
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Mike Carmin/Laf. J and C

According to Rock Island (Ill.) High School coach Thom Sigel, Purdue still is in contention to land 6-1 junior point guard Chasson Randle, who also is considering Illinois and Stanford.

Sigel said Wednesday that Randle is intrigued by Stanford and plans to visit the Pac-10 school on June 4-5. A key will be if Randle is comfortable that far from his Midwest roots. If he is, the Cardinal may just snatch Randle away from the Big Ten schools and Kansas, which recently has begun to show interest.

Sigel said that Randle continues to be in contact with the Boilermaker coach staff but is in no hurry to make a choice. Sigel believes the picture will become much more clear after the Stanford distance issue is resolved.

Randle is an articulate young man who has a sophistication and smoothness to his game. He would be good for Painter to land.
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Jeff Washburn/Laf. J and C

A few notes to pass along:

• Defensive end Ryan Kerrigan has added another preseason honor. The Muncie native has been selected the preseason National Defensive Performer of the Year by the College Football Performance Awards and a second team All-American by NationalChamps.net. Kerrigan has already been named to the watch lo watch lists for the Lombardi Award and the Lott Trophy.

Senior wide receiver Keith Smith was named a preseason honorable mention All-American by NationalChamps.net.

• Graduate assistant coach Joe Deifel has been named the offensive line coach at DePauw, which is located in Greencastle. Deifel was on Purdue's staff for three years and last season coached the tight ends.

Kyle Smith, the program's quality control graduate assistant, will move into a coaching GA role and work with coach Danny Hope with the tight ends.

• Voting concludes Friday for the new "Cradle of Quarterbacks" to be announced later this month. Go to www.purduesports.com to vote. A line of products - posters, calendars, shirts, etc. - will be available for sale by late summer.

• Justin Siller has a new number (No. 2), but so does receiver Antavian Edison (34 to 13), defensive end Gerald Gooden (97 to 2) and receiver Cortez Smith (81 to 7).
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Mike Carmin/Laf. J and C

In my story today, I listed Justin Siller's weight at 250. He's 220 pounds. At 250, he would be playing linebacker and not one of the skill positions on offense. Maybe getting him to 250 is part of the plan down the road but for now he's on offense.

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It was probably the worst-kept secret in the history of Purdue football, but Siller's return was made official Wednesday.

The former quarterback was dismissed from the university last spring for a violation of an academic policy. No one has said exactly what Siller did. But Siller has served his penalty, missing the last three semesters, and will begin Maymester classes Monday.

As expected, Siller wasn't made available to speak to reporters and won't be allowed to comment until training camp starts in August, according to the university release.

Purdue's coaches continue to turn a one-day story into a long, drawn out affair. Men's basketball coach Matt Painter still hasn't permitted Robbie Hummel to speak to the media after his ACL injury. In case you forgot, that was in February.

Now, you - the fans who buy season tickets and Purdue products - must wait until August to hear what Siller has to say about his situation because Danny Hope won't make him available. We're going to ask the same questions then that we ask today. It's disappointing, but not unexpected in today's environment.

I asked Hope today what did he think Siller learned from his situation: "I don't want to speak for Justin, I really don't. Anytime you make a mistake, you pay a price and you learn a lesson," Hope said.

If Hope doesn't want to speak for Siller, then why not let the young man talk?

Regarding Siller's return to the field, this adds another weapon to the offense. Hope and his staff can play Siller at several positions and he's a threat from any spot. He'll be listed at receiver when camp begins and that's probably where Siller will spend a bulk of his time. Offensive coordinator Gary Nord should have a lot of fun with Siller and his moveable parts.

A question that wasn't asked today -- can Siller help on special teams? I don't see why not. Hope has talked about getting the best players on the field for special teams and Siller is one of the team's top players.

A few notes:

• Siller will wear No. 2 instead of No. 5, the jersey number he had his first two seasons. LB Antwon Higgs and RB Al-Terek McBurse now wear No. 5.

• Siller had an opportunity to go elsewhere but elected to remain in Lafayette and attend Ivy Tech Community College to keep up on his academics. He also worked in Purdue's maintenance department. Siller was on the sidelines at most of Purdue's home games last season and was a frequent visitor to practice.

"There are some guys that might have decided to go a different route and transfer," said St. Mary's (Mich.) football coach George Porritt, who coached Siller for two seasons.
"People talked to him about that. I'm very proud of him for staying. He understood what he did was wrong. He's a good kid. He got in trouble, but I believe in Justin Siller."

• Former QB Joey Elliott, Siller's teammate for two seasons, believes receiver is the right spot for the Detroit native.

"He wanted to play receiver after he switched from quarterback, but we were pretty stacked at receiver," Elliott said of the 2008 season. "The thought process was, 'We have to get this guy the ball,' and the quickest way to get him on the field was at running back.

"He has those freakish athletic abilities that whenever he touches the ball he can go the distance."

• Siller has two years of eligibility remaining.

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Mike Carmin/Laf. J and C

A couple of updates on running back Ralph Bolden and defensive end Ryan Kerrigan.

- Bolden underwent surgery on May 5 to repair a torn ACL in his right knee.

There is no timetable on Bolden's return, although I think it will be difficult for the junior to see the field this fall.

- Kerrigan won't need additional surgery on his right foot. He broke a bone against Indiana and re-injured the same foot early in spring practice. It was feared that Kerrigan would undergo another surgery, but as of now that's not the case.

Assuming there are no further complications, Kerrigan should be ready for the start of fall camp.
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Mike Carmin/Laf. J and C

Good decision-making skills were at the core of Saturday's decisions by Purdue basketball standouts JaJuan Johnson and Moore to return to college for their senior season.

While each is an elite-level college player, there's an enormous jump to the NBA in most cases, unless your name is Kobe Bryant or LeBron James. For many NCAA stars, the lure of money, fame and lots of bling clouds the vision of what is reality and what is fantasy.

During my interviews Saturday with Johnson and Moore, each emphasized the feedback they received this week during NBA workouts and how that feedback helped them arrive at a sensible and logical decision.

The other thing at play here -- and this isn't always the case -- is that Moore and Johnson actually like attending college and playing in the grand Big Ten Conference. With time, more strength and additional experience, each has the potential to play in the NBA.

But to their credit, Moore and Johnson took the feedback they received in Boston, Houston, Chicago and Portland and realized that considering all the underclassmen in the 2010 NBA Draft, they will be better positioned in the 2011 draft.

Moore never wavered from his plan to come back for his senior season. He just wanted feedback from the NBA folks as to whether he likely is a point guard or a shooting guard at the next level.

But I really believe that before he worked out for Boston and then for Houston, Johnson was leaning towards staying in the NBA Draft. One mock draft had him going in the second round. But there is no guaranteed money in Round 2, and unless he played lights out basketball, Johnson could have found himself in Europe next season playing for $100,000 with no guarantee of ever getting a solid look from the NBA.

Many very good college players have spent their entire professional careers playing pro ball in Europe. There are worse things for a basketball player, but that's a far cry from making $9 million a year to play in the NBA.

As we look at what happened on Saturday with Johnson and Moore, we should applaud these young men for making a decision that while not easy was the correct thing to do.

They showed excellent maturity, and they also displayed loyalty to themselves, to their teammates, to the Purdue coaching staff and to all Boilermaker fans who have adored them since they arrived on campus during the summer of 2007.

Along with Robbie Hummel, who is making great progress in his rehab after knee surgery, Johnson and Moore have an opportunity to give Purdue basketball fans a season to remember like no other.

Certainly, there are no guarantees of another Big Ten championship, a trip to the Final Four or an NCAA title. But by making the wise decision to return to school, Johnson and Moore exhibited maturity that many in their age group and in their positions don't exhibit.

If you're a Purdue basketball fan and don't already hold Johnson and Moore in high esteem as student/athletes and as young men, you certainly have reason to do so now.

The 24-day drama that Johnson and Moore endured is over, and everyone associated with Purdue men's basketball is a winner.
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Jeff Washburn/Laf. J and C

According to the NBA, college players have until June 14 to remove their names from the draft list. However, the NCAA now says college players must withdraw on or before May 8 if they want to retain eligibility for the 2010-11 season.

Coupled with the timing of second-semester final examinations at most schools, that's certainly not much of a window for players to work out for NBA teams.

I think that's part of the reason so many underclassmen still haven't removed their names from the NBA Draft list. Players are grasping for feedback from NBA teams, but some NBA clubs aren't going to conduct workouts until they know who is staying in the draft and who is going to pull out.

JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore have only the final days of this week to work out for NBA personnel. Johnson is scheduled to work out for Houston and Boston. Moore will work out for Portland. Then on Saturday, they must withdraw -- or stay and remove all hope of playing for Purdue in 2010-11.

Matt Painter told USA Today that neither Johnson nor Moore will have much time to digest what they've been told.

It's a shame the NCAA doesn't give kids a larger window to explore.

From the NCAA's perspective, if college coaches must wait until June 14 to learn what their next season's roster will look like, they are placed in a bind. However, if I'm coaching, I would want my guys making informed decisions and not to stay in the draft just because they want to work out for more teams.

I'm standing by my claim that Moore will return to Purdue for the 2010-11 season. He needs to be quicker and stronger to defend NBA shooting guards, and he needs more than one NBA camp to prove that he can step back and make an NBA 3-pointer.

With Johnson, I just don't know now. Every college analyst and coach I've spoken with says Johnson isn't ready for the NBA, especially having played center at Purdue. No way he is an NBA center. He appears to be telling those around him that he is going to do what is best for JaJuan and for his family. Sounds to me like he may be leaning toward staying in, especially with so little pre-May 8 time for evaluation by the NBA folks.

If Johnson stays in the draft, that's a devastating blow to the 2010-11 Purdue season. If Johnson bolts, only Patrick Bade would have any minutes in the post to speak of. A marginal rebounding team likely would be a below-average rebounding team next season.

We're going to learn a lot about Johnson's loyalty to classmates Moore and Robbie Hummel during the next several days. If that threesome comes back intact, Purdue is a Final Four-type team. Without Johnson, they will struggle to return to the Sweet Sixteen.
I would remind Johnson that Kyle Singler is coming back to Duke after winning the 2010 NCAA title.

Tyler Hansbrough returned to North Carolina for the 2008-09 season for the opportunity to win a national title and did.

And after beating UCLA to win the 2006 NCAA title, Florida's Joakim Noah, Al Horford and Corey Brewer all came back to win it again in 2007, beating Ohio State in the title game. Then, after winning two NCAA titles, that threesome bolted for the NBA. Noah now plays for Chicago, Horford with Atlanta and Brewer with Minnesota.

Johnson has to be true to what he wants, but from a college basketball perspective, it would be nice to see what Purdue could achieve next season with its big three still wearing gold and black.

We will learn Saturday, but from Purdue's perspective, I'm afraid the NCAA-mandated new short window for NBA evaluations is going to hit Purdue in the heart. That is a real shame.
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Jeff Washburn/Laf J and C

Purdue's three Super Bowl winning quarterbacks -- Drew Brees, Len Dawson and Bob Griese -- are scheduled to be in West Lafayette on June 22 for the sixth annual National Football Foundation Dinner.

It marks the first time the trio will appear in West Lafayette together.

The event is co-hosted by the National Football Foundation's Joe Tiller Chapter of Northwest Indiana and Purdue's Gimlet Leadership Honorary.

More than 475 tickets for this year's event have already been requested, according to Jim Vruggink, the executive director of the local chapter.

A few details about the event:

• Starts at 5 p.m. with a silent auction reception.

• Purdue coach Danny Hope and some select former and current Boilermakers will sign autographs.

• Brees, Dawson and Griese will not take part in the autograph session but will join other honorees at a VIP Reception elsewhere in the building.

• The quarterback trio will receive the Gold Medallion, the chapter's highest award. It has been awarded only once previously to Dr. Martin Jischke upon his retirement as Purdue President in 2007.

• Former Purdue football play-by-play announcer, Joe McConnell, will receive the chapter's Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football Award.

• A total of 27 high school football players from the 18 counties of Northwest Indiana will receive scholarship assistance for their first year of college. The Scholar Athlete of the Year Award will be announced.

• Tickets are priced at $35 each for students college age and younger ($280 for a table of eight), $40 each for NFF members ($320 for a table of eight), and $50 per person for non-NFF member adults ($400 for a table of eight non-members). Cost of attending the VIP Reception is $200 per person with all proceeds going to charities.

The chapter is seeking partners and sponsors for scholarship packages, which are tax-deductible. Interested parties may contact Vruggink at 765-427-3303 or at jvruggink@purdue.edu.
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Mike Carmin/Laf. J and C