WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue head football coach Jeff Brohm announced the addition of 23 players during the early-signing period Wednesday. The class consists of high school players hailing from 10 different states and features four defensive backs and offensive linemen; three defensive ends and wide receivers; two linebackers, running backs and tight ends; and a defensive tackle, punter and quarterback.
| Name | Pos. | Hometown/High School |
|---|---|---|
| Cameron Allen | DB | Bluefield, Va./Graham |
| Nyles Beverly | DB | Macedonia, Ohio/Nordonia |
| Kyle Bilodeau | TE | Mechanicsville, Va./Woodberry Forest |
| Brooks Cormier | P | Tuscaloosa, Ala./American Christian Academy |
| Cam Craig | OL | Dublin, Ohio/Jerome |
| King Doerue | RB | Amarillo, Texas/Tascosa |
| Steven Faucheux | DT | West Chester, Ohio/Lakota West |
| Jalen Graham | DB | Detroit, Mich./Cass Tech |
| Marvin Grant Jr. | DB | Detroit, Mich./Martin Luther King |
| Spencer Holstege | OL | Grand Rapids, Mich./South Christian |
| Da’Joun Hewitt | RB | Nashville, Tenn./Davidson Academy |
| Dontay Hunter | DE | Westerville, Ohio/Westerville Central |
| Kyle Jornigan | OL | Youngstown, Ohio/Cardinal Mooney |
| George Karlaftis | DE | West Lafayette, Ind./West Lafayette |
| Sulaiman Kpaka | DE | Grand Prairie, Texas/Grand Prairie |
| Crishawn Long | LB | Parma, Ohio/Padua Franciscan |
| Garrett Miller | TE | Round Rock, Texas/Round Rock |
| Dave Monnot III | OL | Joliet, Ill./Joliet Catholic |
| Paul Piferi | QB | Villa Park, Calif./Villa Park |
| Mershawn Rice | WR | Reynoldsburg, Va./Reynoldsburg |
| Khali Saunders | LB | Elmhurst, Ill./Immaculate Conception |
| TJ Sheffield | WR | Thompson Station, Tenn./Independence |
| Milton Wright | WR | Louisville, Ky./Christian Academy Louisville |
Chase Triplett LB Michigan City
Cameron Allen
- Three-star defensive back by 247Sports
- Three-star defensive back by Rivals
- Three-star defensive back by ESPN
- Team went 14-1 in his senior season, winning the 2018 Virginia Class 2 state championship
- 2018 Bluefield Daily Telegraph Player of the Year
- In addition to defensive back, played quarterback in high school and accounted for the 61 total touchdowns as a senior, the third most by a player in Virginia high school history
- Named 2018 first-team All-Region 2D as a quarterback and defensive back
Nyles Beverly
- Three-star defensive back by 247Sports
- Three-star defensive back by Rivals
- Three-star defensive back by ESPN
- Named 2018 first-team All-Ohio Division II by the Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association
- Earned all-conference and all-region honors as a senior
Kyle Bilodeau
- Four-star tight end by 247Sports
- Three-star tight end by Rivals
- Three-star tight end by ESPN
- Team went 5-3 his senior season
- Had 34 receptions for 455 yards and three touchdowns as a senior
- Selected to play in the 2019 Polynesian Bowl in January
Brooks Cormier
- Five-star punter by Chris Sailor Kicking
- Five-star punter by Kohl’s Kicking
- Three-star punter by 247Sports
- Three-star punter by ESPN
- Two-star punter by Rivals
- Team went 12-1 his senior season, advancing to the quarterfinals of the Alabama Class 4A playoffs
Cam Craig
- Three-star offensive lineman by 247Sports
- Three-star offensive lineman by Rivals
- Three-star offensive lineman by ESPN
- Team went 5-5 in 2018
King Doerue
- Three-star running back by 247Sports
- Three-star running back by Rivals
- Three-star running back by ESPN
- According to MaxPreps, rushed 164 times for 1,356 yards and 21 touchdowns as a senior
- Also caught 16 passes for 351 yards and six touchdowns in 2018
- Team went 11-4 in 2018, advancing to the Texas 6A D2 semifinals
- First-team all-district honors as junior in 2017
- Second-team all-district recognition as a sophomore in 2016
Steven Faucheux
- Four-star defensive tackle by 247Sports
- Four-star defensive tackle by Rivals
- Four-star defensive tackle by ESPN
Jalen Graham
- Three-star defensive back by 247Sports
- Three-star defensive back by Rivals
- Three-star defensive back by ESPN
- Team went 11-2 in 2018, advancing to the second round of the Michigan state playoffs
- 2018 Detroit News first-team All-State
- 2018 MLive.com honorable mention All-State selection
- 2018 Associated Press honorable mention All-State
Marvin Grant Jr.
- Four-star defensive back by 247Sports
- Four-star defensive back by Rivals
- Four-star defensive back by ESPN
- 2018 Detroit Public Schools League Defensive Player of the Year
- All-Detroit Area as a senior
- 2018 first-team Division 3-4 All-State by the Associated Press
- High school went 12-2 in 2018, winning the Michigan Division 3 state championship
Spencer Holstege
- Three-star offensive lineman by 247Sports
- Three-star offensive lineman by ESPN
- Two-star offensive lineman by Rivals
- Team went 6-5 in 2018, advancing to the second round of the Division 4 playoffs
- First-team All-State by the Detroit Free Press
- Blocked for an offense that averaged 330 yards per game his senior season
- Two-time All-Grand Rapids selection by MLive.com
- First-team All-Area South as a senior
Da’Joun Hewitt
- Three-star running back by 247Sports
- Three-star running back by Rivals
- Three-star running back by ESPN
- Had 273 carries for 2,170 yards and 39 touchdowns as a senior
- Caught 19 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown in 2018
- Team went 13-0 in 2018, winning the Tennessee Division II Class A championship
Dontay Hunter
- Three-star defensive end by 247Sports
- Three-star defensive end by Rivals
- Three-star defensive end by ESPN
- According to MaxPreps, finished his 2018 senior season with 113 total tackles, including 101 solo stops, with 12.0 sacks
- Had an interception and forced a pair of fumbles in 2018
- Team advanced to the 2018 Ohio state playoffs
- Had 45 tackles with 6.0 sacks as a junior in 2017 according to MaxPreps
Kyle Jornigan
- Three-star offensive lineman by 247Sports
- Three-star offensive lineman by Rivals
- Three-star offensive lineman by ESPN
George Karlaftis
- Four-star defensive end by 247Sports
- Four-star defensive end by Rivals
- Four-star defensive end by ESPN
- Selected to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in January
- Team went 15-0 in 2018, winning the Indiana Class 3A state championship
- 2018 Top 50 All-Indiana by the Indiana Football Coaches Association
- Associated Press All-State Class 3A as a senior
- 2018 IndyStar Mr. Football Defensive Lineman of the Year
- According to MaxPreps, finished his senior season with 106 total tackles with 56 tackles for loss, including 17.5 sacks
- Via MaxPreps, he finished his prep career with 332 total tackles, 84 tackles for loss and 41 sacks
Sulaiman Kpaka
- Three-star defensive end by 247Sports
- Three-star defensive end by Rivals
- Three-star defensive end by ESPN
- First-team all-district as a senior
- Two-time team defensive MVP
- As a junior in 2017, recorded 35 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, five sacks, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery
Crishawn Long
- Three-star linebacker by 247Sports
- Three-star linebacker by ESPN
- Two-star linebacker by Rivals
- According to MaxPreps, finished his senior season with 59 total tackles, including 35 solo stops, with 2.0 tackles for loss
- First-team Division III All-State selection by Cleveland.com as a senior
- 2018 first-team All Northeast Lakes District
- 2018 first-team North Coast League
Garrett Miller
- Three-star tight end by 247Sports
- Three-star tight end by Rivals
- Three-star tight end by ESPN
- According to MaxPreps, finished his senior season with 29 receptions for 584 yards and five touchdowns
- Team went 7-5 in 2018, advancing to the second round of the 6A DI state playoffs
- 2018 first-team All-District 13-6A
Dave Monnot III
- Three-star offensive lineman by 247Sports
- Two-star offensive lineman by Rivals
- Team went 10-4 in 2018, winning the Illinois Class 5A state championship
- Blocked for an offense that averaged 384 yards of total offense per game in 2018
Paul Piferi
- Three-star quarterback by 247Sports
- Three-star quarterback by Rivals
- Three-star quarterback by ESPN
- According to MaxPreps, completed 207 of 329 passing attempts for 2,924 yards and 24 touchdowns as a senior in 2018
- Was 116 of 196 passing for 1,798 yards and 17 touchdowns as a junior in 2017
- Team went 12-1 his senior season, advancing to the semifinals of the 2018 Division 4 CIF Southern Section Playoffs
- Attends the same high school as current Purdue quarterback Nick Sipe
Mershawn Rice
- Four-star athlete by Rivals
- Three-star athlete by 247Sports
- Three-star athlete by ESPN
- Caught 22 passes for 462 yards as a senior
- Also played defensive back in high school
- Team went 10-2 in 2018, advancing to the second round of the Division I state playoffs
Khali Saunders
- Three-star linebacker by 247Sports
- Three-star linebacker by Rivals
- Three-star linebacker by ESPN
- According to MaxPreps, finished his 2018 senior season with 81 total tackles, 61 solo, with 3.0 tackles for loss
- Had three interceptions and a fumble forced and recovered as a senior
- Team went 14-0 as a senior, winning the 2018 Illinois Class 4A state championship
- According to MaxPreps, he had 96 tackles, including 4.0 for loss, as a junior in 2017
- Team went 14-1 as a junior, winning the 2017 Illinois Class 3A State Championship
- IC Catholic Prep has won three consecutive Illinois state titles (2016-18)
TJ Sheffield
- Four-star wide receiver by ESPN
- Three-star wide receiver by 247Sports
- Three-star wide receiver by Rivals
- Finalist for the Tennessee Titans’ Mr. Football as a senior
- According to MaxPreps, had 75 receptions 1,550 yards and 15 touchdowns as a senior in 2018
- Also had 26 carries for 130 yards and four touchdowns in 2018
- Team advanced to the Division I 6A second record in the Tennessee state playoffs in 2018
- Had 56 receptions for 840 yards and five touchdowns as a junior in 2017
Milton Wright
- Four-star wide receiver by 247Sports
- Four-star wide receiver by Rivals
- Four-star wide receiver by ESPN
- High school went 15-0 in 2018, winning the Kentucky Class 2A state championship
- 2018 Kentucky Football Coaches Association’s Class 2A Player of the Year
- Finished his senior season with 67 receptions for 1,010 yards and 12 touchdowns
- Had 37 carries for 502 yards and nine rushing touchdowns as a senior
- Was a candidate for the 2018 Kentucky Football Coaches Association Mr. Football Award
