Purdue Football: National Signing Day – High School / Junior College

ITS NATIONAL SIGNING DAY…AGAIN!

Personally, like my feelings The NFL Draft, I liked signing day when it was a one-day blast of football and not seemingly every other month. Regardless of my feelings, Signing Day Part II is happening as I type, with Coach Walters and crew filling in the gaps that weren’t addressed in Signing Day 1. I plan to provide (or have everything ready-made) a more detailed individual analysis over the next week, but thought I’d give an overview first.

Class of 2023 signings

Close finish

George Burhenn

Purdue failed to land a tight end in his first signing season, and with Payne Durham moving to the next level, there was a need. Burhenn, a 3*, 65, 205-pound tight end who graduated from Mr. Vernon High School in Mount Vernon, Indiana, would fit the bill.

I was surprised when Burhenn didn’t sign someone in the first season of his contract. He is not a last minute place player. 247 Sports ranked him as the 7th best player in the state of Indiana.

Right now, he’s a big wide receiver. Hell has to work at the Dining Table (my favorite job) and in the weight room to transform himself into a college tight end, but the raw athletic material is hard to ignore.

Helvetti is the highest tight end on the roster next season. It’s a solid late pick for tight ends coach Seth Doege.

Athlete

Branch of Arhmad

I have already spent a good number of words on Arhmad this week (you can find the article here).

Branch is a combined 3*, 61, 175 pound receiver/defensive back from Festus High School in Festus, Missouri. He is relatively new to football, having only played high school ball as a junior and senior, but is not a new elite athlete. He’s also a basketball/track star who wouldn’t be out of place on a varsity basketball team.

Coach Walters wants to improve the overall athleticism on the roster, and getting guys like Branch is a way to accomplish that goal. He could play wide receiver, corner or safety for Purdue. He’s a guy you get into the program now and decide where to play him later.

Derrick Rogers Jr.

Rogers is a 3*, 61, 170 pound athlete from Jones High School in Orlando, Florida. The former Maryland and UNLV commit gives the Boilermakers another athlete on the offensive and defensive staff to contend with.

He played primarily as a reader, hauling in 48 receptions for 920 yards and 8 touchdowns as a senior, but like Arhmad Branch, he has the physical attributes Coach Walters likes in his defensive backs. He’s another player without a set position, which elevates the overall athleticism of the roster.

Mondrell Dean

Dean is a 3*, 63, 237 pound athlete from Hurricane High School in West Virginia. He primarily played defensive end in high school, but will be an athlete for Purdue. Branch and Rogers are classic athletes who can play either receiver or defensive end. Dean, on the other hand,​​​​is a strange combination of running back and defensive end.

He exploded in 2022 as a defensive end, recording 139 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, 11 sacks and 4 forced fumbles. His rushing stats were nothing to sneeze at either, as he ran for 617 yards and 16 touchdowns while pulling double duty.

He reminds me a bit of former Clemson All-American Vic Beasley. Vic came to Clemson as a running back/tight end/defensive back, and after two seasons of trying to figure out his best position, settled on defensive end and ended up an All-American and top 10 draft pick.

Running backs coach Lamar Conrad was his primary recruiter, and I guess hell get a change of pace back, but I love his athleticism and acceleration on the defensive end as well. Just like the other two athletes Purdue grabbed today, for coach Walters speed and athleticism are the name of the game. Dean brings both to the table, now it’s up to the coaching staff to figure out his best fit and coach him up.

Offensive line

Issiah Walker

I wrote about Walker last week here. Walker is a 64, 310-pound right tackle originally from Norland High School in Miami. He arrived at Purdue after a circuitous career that saw him enroll at three different schools (Florida, then Miami, then Butler Community College) before heading to West Lafayette. to play with new offensive line coach Matt Mattox.

Walker is a right tackle. That’s what he played in high school, and that’s what he played at Butler CC. He’s athletic enough to move to the left side, but prefers the right side, and that’s where I expect him to stay at Purdue. He’s light on his feet for a big man, and does a good job of finding linebackers and defensive backs at the second level. That should serve him well in an offense that asks offensive linemen to step outside and lead the way on perimeter runs and screens.

This is unnecessary, but more than anything, it’s an improvement in athleticism for Purdue’s offensive line, which was mainly asked to form a wall in front of the quarterback and hold long enough for the quarterback to deliver the ball. I expect a more active and mobile line under Coach Harrell and Mattox, and Walker is an active and mobile right tackle.