Grading Purdue football's 2024 early signing class

WEST LAFAYETTE — One year ago, Ryan Walters had been on the job for less than a week when the early signing period took place.

Purdue football's coach had to speed recruit, build instant relationships with those who'd committed to a previous coaching staff while also adjusting to being a first-time head coach and assembling a staff to work under him.

Now with a firmer grasp on what Purdue has to work with, Walters and his coaches were able to address areas of need while also planting a more solid foot in recruitment of Purdue targets.

How did it pan out? Well, at least as of now it's more than promising.

Let's grade it by position:

More: Purdue football recruiting class 2024: Meet Boilermakers’ early signees

Quarterback: A

It's always a desire to sign one quarterback per class. No surprise, Purdue delved back into Texas. Graham Harrell, Purdue's offensive coordinator, is a legend there. The Boilermakers need their next in line to succeed Hudson Card, another Texas high school football star. So Harrell made it a point to pull in Marcos Davila, a 6-foot-3, 230-pounder who had no shortage of offers, including TCU, Miami, Texas A&M, Colorado, Kansas and Mississippi State among the lengthy list.

Running back: A

If we're to believe Walters, who in his first year has been bluntly honest about almost everything, Jaheim Merriweather was the running back he told position coach Lamar Conard the Boilermakers needed. And Purdue grabbed the three-star recruit out of Tennessee. Couple that with the addition of Illinois' Reggie Love III out of the transfer portal and you've offset the loss of Tyrone Tracy, who entered the NFL draft, and Dylan Downing, who entered the transfer portal.

Offensive line: A

First order of business was getting center Gus Hartwig back for a fifth year. Then, after a season where Purdue seemingly was piecing together any five players who could block after an abundance of injuries, the Boilermakers hauled in two of the best junior college offensive linemen in the country in Jaekwon Bouldin and Rod Green. Add to that five incoming freshmen up front and currently three more from the transfer portal and it's obvious Purdue won't let depth on the offensive line be a concern moving forward.

Tight end: A

Purdue signed just one, but it's a major get. Tayvion Galloway out of Ohio once was committed to LSU. Galloway re-opened his recruitment last summer and Purdue was able to add one of the best at the position despite offers from Florida, Arkansas, Kentucky and Michigan among a long list of suitors.

Receiver: C

Adding UCLA transfer Kam Brown out of the portal helps and hopefully Jahmal Edrine comes back healthy after tearing his ACL prior to last season. The position, thought to be a strength prior to the year, had struggles. Then, Deion Burks (Oklahoma), TJ Sheffield (Michigan State) and Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen (South Florida) all left. Walters mentioned only losing one player to the transfer portal that was a major blow and it's a safe assumption that was Burks. Those losses, along with the transfer of tight end Garrett Miller to Texas A&M depleted Purdue of its top four leading receivers. Purdue signed four receivers, but none ranked in the top 100 at the position. Walters mentioned these were players three years from now Purdue would love to grab out of the transfer portal. But the Boilermakers don't have three years to wait. They'll need a couple instant impact makers.

Kicker: A

It was the most questionable position on the roster last season. Purdue left a lot of points unscored with its kicking woes in 2023. What did Walters do? He signed the nation's 10th-ranked high school kicker, per 247Sports, and a local product at that with Brownsburg's Spencer Porath. Porath had 99 career touchbacks in high school and was 7-for-7 on field goals last season, including a 48-yarder.

Defensive line: B

Walters wants big, nasty defensive linemen who take up space and he found that in Caleb Irving, Demeco Kennedy and Jamari Payne. Purdue was pretty good stopping the run last season and adding three players ranked in the top 139 at their position can't hurt.

Linebacker: N/A

DJ Allen is an edge rusher listed on Purdue's recruiting board as an outside linebacker. Really, Purdue gets an A here because it kept Nic Scourton and Kydran Jenkins, who both could've cashed in big in the transfer portal. Don't think it wasn't priority No. 1 for Walters and defensive coordinator Kevin Kane to keep those two in West Lafayette. Losing Khordae Sydnor in the transfer portal was a sting, but the 6-foot-3, 225-pound Allen can help offset that.

Secondary: A

This was a position of need. Already Purdue has All-American Dillon Thieneman on the top, but the Boilermakers struggled at times in man coverage. You lose Cam Allen and Sanoussi Kane, who both are hoping for a shot in the NFL, but the Boilers added five corners and safeties. Plus, Koy Beasley is listed as the No. 11 safety in the class of 2024 by 247Sports. Walters listed Beasley as an athlete and said he'll figure out where to plug the electric 5-foot-11, 170-pound speedster when he gets on campus. This position also wins the all-name team with LeonTre "Smiley" Bradford. Luke Williams, Earl Kulp and Hudauri Hines, Ty Hudkins and Bradford all are in the top 110 nationally for their position in 247Sports' 2024 rankings.

Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @samueltking.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Honor roll worthy? Grading the 2024 Purdue football signing class