Feb. 1, 2006

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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue football coach Joe Tiller today announced the signing of 20 student-athletes to National Letters-of-Intent to join seven others for a 27-member recruiting class. The class is Tiller's 10th at Purdue and matches the 1998 and 2004 classes as the largest.

The Boilermakers received signed letters from 11 offensive players, seven defensive players, one player listed as an athlete and one specialist. There are five defensive backs, four wide receivers, two quarterbacks, two running backs, two linebackers, two offensive linemen, one tight end and one kicker.

"Counting the numbers alone suggests that we felt a need for immediate help at a few positions on our football team," Tiller said. "We have addressed those needs with the addition of several junior college players. Overall, we are pleased with the class and look forward to these guys contributing in the future."

The recruits hail originally from nine different states: five from Texas; three from California; two each from Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio; and one apiece from Kentucky and Michigan.

In December, the Boilermakers inked seven junior college transfers - punter Jared Armstrong, defensive end Jeff Benjamin, defensive back Brandon Blackmon, defensive back Markus Dawes, defensive end Mike McDonald, defensive end Shaun Richardson and running back Jaycen Taylor - and in January, defensive tackle Kyle Sheehan signed out of Fairmont (Minn.) High School. Dawes subsequently was released from his scholarship. The other seven currently are taking classes at Purdue and are slated to participate in spring practice.

2006 Purdue Football Recruits - February

Kyle Adams, TE, 6-5, 235, Austin, Texas (Westlake)
Ranked as No. 50 tight end in the nation by ESPN.com ... honorable mention All-Central Texas, second team all-region and first team all-district as senior after catching nine passes for 100 yards (11.1 average) and one touchdown ... had eight receptions his junior season ... solid blocker ... Academic All-State ... National Merit Scholarship finalist ... timed at 4.8 in the 40-yard dash ... coach was Derek Long ... mother, Anne (McMenamy) Adams, played volleyball at Purdue from 1978 to 1981 ... father, Rob, was a member of the Purdue rowing team ... comes from same high school as former Purdue All-America quarterback Drew Brees (1997-2000).

Royce Adams, DB, 6-0, 180, South Euclid, Ohio (Glenville)
Three-star prospect by Rivals.com ... ranked as No. 52 cornerback in the nation and No. 37 overall prospect in Ohio by Rivals ... first team all-region and all-city selection as senior after recording 57 tackles and one interception ... also played wide receiver (40 catches, eight touchdowns) and returned punts ... played on state quarterfinal team that posted 13-1 record ... transferred to Glenville from Lakewood St. Edwards for senior season ... had seven interceptions and also played running back as junior ... timed at 4.5 in the 40-yard dash ... coach at Glenville was Ted Ginn, father of the Ohio State wide receiver.

Dario Camacho, RB, 5-10, 200, Riverside, Calif. (Citrus College)
Three-star prospect by Rivals.com ... named Western State Conference Player of the Year after setting school record with 1,563 yards rushing on 269 carries (5.8 average) and 10 touchdowns last season ... topped state of California in rushing with average of 156.3 yards per game ... ranked fifth with average of 161.0 all-purpose yards per game ... rushed for 1,072 yards on 154 carries (7.0 average) and six touchdowns in 2004 ... ranked ninth in state (fourth among freshmen) with average of 119.1 rushing yards per game ... two-time first team all-conference performer ... set school record with 2,635 career rushing yards on 423 carries (6.2 average) and 16 touchdowns ... played for back-to-back conference championship teams ... coach was Kevin Emerson ... attended Ramona High School in Riverside, Calif. ... timed at 4.5 in the 40-yard dash ... has three years to play two seasons at Purdue.

Tim Dougherty, K, 5-10, 165, Louisville, Ky. (Saint Xavier)
Second team all-state, first team all-regional and first team all-district as senior after making 9 of 11 field goals (82 percent) with a long of 44 yards ... sailed nearly 90 percent of his kickoffs into the end zone ... member of Class 4A state runner-up team ... coach was Mike Glaser ... comes from same high school as current Purdue junior linebacker Dan Bick.

Brandon Erwin, DB, 6-2, 185, Loganville, Ga. (Grayson)
First team all-county as senior after recording 33 tackles, 10 pass breakups and five interceptions as senior cornerback and safety ... caught 19 passes for 285 yards (15.0 average) and three touchdowns and had 11 carries for 56 yards (5.1 average) ... returned a kickoff for a touchdown ... played in North-South All-Star Game as wide receiver and had three receptions for 75 yards ... timed at 4.37 in the 40-yard dash ... coach was Mickey Conn ... county champion in 200 meters and 400 meters his junior year.

Kevin Green, LB, 6-2, 215, North Chicago, Ill. (North Chicago)
Three-star prospect by Rivals.com ... ranked as No. 32 linebacker in the nation and No. 7 prospect in Illinois by Rivals ... All-Midwest Region selection by PrepStar Magazine ... first team all-state as senior after recording 120 tackles, including 14 for loss and eight sacks, with seven fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles ... rushed for 1,069 yards on 117 carries (9.1 average) and six touchdowns ... played on state semifinal team ... three-year starter ... timed at 4.55 40-yard dash ... coach was Mike Grenda.

John Humphrey, LB, 6-1, 205, Youngstown, Ohio (Liberty)
Ranked as No. 43 prospect in Ohio by Rivals.com ... first team all-state and all-conference and Trumbull County Player of the Year as senior defensive end after recording 57 tackles, including 17 for loss and 10 sacks, with 10 pass breakups and three forced fumbles ... caught six passes for 123 yards (20.5 average) and one touchdown as tight end ... averaged 35.6 yards per punt ... described by PrepStar Magazine as "a mini Erasmus James" ... all-conference kicker his freshman and sophomore seasons ... timed at 4.5 in the 40-yard dash ... coach was Jeff Whitaker ... conference champion in discus and 100 meters.

Jeff Lindsay, ATH, 6-4, 210, Macomb, Mich. (L'Anse Creuse North)
Four-star prospect by Rivals.com ... SuperPrep All-American ... ranked as No. 14 safety in the nation by Collegefootballnews.com ... No. 29 athlete in the nation and No. 5 prospect in Michigan by Rivals ... All-Midwest Region selection by PrepStar Magazine ... three-year offensive and defensive starter who played quarterback, wide receiver, running back, defensive end, linebacker and cornerback ... as senior recorded 59 tackles and one interception (returned 45 yards for a touchdown), had 92 rushes for 498 yards (5.4 average) and four touchdowns, completed 14 of 31 passes (45 percent) for 297 yards with three touchdowns and one interception and caught two passes for 21 yards ... timed at 4.55 in 40-yard dash ... coach was Joe Politowicz.

Jonte Lindsey, DB, 5-10, 170, Riverside, Calif. (Riverside C.C.)
Named first team All-Mission Football Conference after recording 64 tackles (29 solo, 35 assists), including 1.5 for loss, with seven pass breakups and three fumble recoveries last season ... team advanced to Southern California regional playoffs in its first postseason appearance in 12 years ... had 26 tackles (17 solo, 9 assists), including 1.0 for loss, with one interception, one fumble recovery and two blocked kicks in 2004 ... coach was Bill Brown ... teammate of December signee Jeff Benjamin ... attended Riverside North High School ... timed at 4.55 in the 40-yard dash ... has three years to play two seasons at Purdue.

Selwyn Lymon, WR, 6-4, 210, Fort Wayne, Ind. (Harding)
Originally signed with Purdue in February of 2005 ... currently paying his own way to attend Purdue ... four-star prospect ranked as No. 22 overall player and No. 5 wide receiver in nation by SuperPrep ... No. 72 overall player, No. 7 wide receiver and No. 1 player in Indiana by Rivals.com ... No. 11 wide receiver by Student Sports ... Class 2A first team all-state as senior ... played wide receiver and quarterback ... had 16 receptions for 353 yards (22.1 average) and four touchdowns ... completed 54 of 96 passes (56.3 percent) for 1,022 yards with 11 touchdowns and four touchdowns and had 1,000 yards rushing ... invited to U.S. Army All-American Bowl ... caught 47 passes for 1,134 yards (24.1 average) and 13 touchdowns en route to being named all-area and all-conference his junior season ... timed at 4.4 in the 40-yard dash ... coach was Sherwood Haydock.

Roberto McBean, WR, 6-0, 190, Berkeley, Calif. (City College of San Francisco)
Caught 31 passes for 651 yards (21.0 average) and seven touchdowns last season ... played for team that went 9-1 and outscored its opposition by a 402 to 134 margin ... timed at 4.5 in the 40-yard dash ... coach was George Rush ... attended Berkeley High School ... has three years to play two seasons at Purdue.

Jeff Panfil, QB, 6-5, 185, Fort Worth, Texas (North Crowley)
Three-star prospect by Rivals.com ... ranked as No. 20 dual-threat quarterback in the nation by Rivals ... district Most Valuable Player as senior after completing 121 of 262 passes (46.2 percent) for 2,072 yards and 19 touchdowns with just three interceptions ... rushed for 427 yards on 126 carries (3.4 average) and 12 touchdowns ... team finished with 9-2 record and captured first-ever district championship ... timed at 4.6 in the 40-yard dash ... coach was Mike Papas ... father, Doug, was an All-American offensive guard at Tulsa and selected in the eighth round of the 1979 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints; brother, Matt, is a sophomore linebacker at TCU; and grandfather, F.A. Dry, was head coach at Tulsa (1972-76) and TCU (1977-82) ... cousins are former Boilermakers Ken Panfil (tackle, lettered 1951-52 and 1955) and Vince Panfil (offensive lineman, lettered 1985).

David Pender, DB, 6-1, 175, Folkston, Ga. (Charlton County)
Recorded 36 tackles and six interceptions as senior ... also played wide receiver ... coach was Rich McWhorter ... timed at 4.48 in the 40-yard dash ... reigning state champion in 100 meters (10.83), long jump (22-7.5) and triple jump (49-9.25) and as member of 4x400 relay team.

Justin Pierce, OL, 6-4, 300, Tom Bean, Texas (Tom Bean)
First team all-state selection as junior and senior ... graded out at 95 percent ... third team all-state his sophomore year ... three-year starter ... never missed a day in four years of the team's summer weight program ... has bench pressed 400 ... timed at 5.0 in the 40-yard dash ... coach was Darren Anderson.

Ryan Prater, OL, 6-5, 260, Dallas, Texas (Trinity Christian Academy)
Second team all-state and first team all-district selection as senior, his only year as a starter after playing behind two Division I performers ... played in Texas Private School All-Star Game ... invited to U.S. Army All-American Bowl combine ... has recorded a 30-inch vertical leap ... timed at 5.0 in the 40-yard dash ... also participates in wrestling and can dunk a basketball ... coach was Steve Hayes.

Justin Scott, DB, 6-0, 215, Sanford, Fla. (College of the Sequoias, Calif.)
Recorded 96 tackles, 11 pass breakups, two interceptions, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery (for a touchdown) last season ... timed at 4.45 in 40-yard dash ... coach was Curtis Allen ... attended Lake Mary High School in Florida ... has three years to play two seasons at Purdue.

Keith Smith, QB, 6-2, 195, Fort Hood, Texas (Shoemaker)
Three-star prospect by Rivals.com ... set school career record with 75 touchdowns ... first team all-district selection as senior after completing 99 of 200 passes (49.5 percent) for 1,352 yards and rushing for 943 yards ... broke school season record with 29 touchdowns ... also handled punting and kicking duties ... timed at 4.64 in the 40-yard dash ... coach was Ken Gray.

Mario Swope, WR, 5-10, 185, Carmel, Ind. (Brebeuf Jesuit)
Ranked eighth in state with average of 170.5 rushing yards per game (10 games, 220 carries, 1,705 yards, 7.8 average) with 22 touchdowns as senior ... had season-long run of 94 yards ... ranked tied for fifth in state with average of 15.8 points per game ... caught 11 passes for 386 yards (35.1 average) and four touchdowns ... as defensive back picked off three interceptions ... as junior had 1,814 rushing yards - seventh-most among players in his grade - on 292 carries (6.2 average) with 26 touchdowns ... ranked 10th among all players with 176 points ... recorded six career interceptions ... timed at 4.8 in the 40-yard dash ... coach was Dan Hyde.

Joe Whitest, WR, 6-2, 205, Belle Glade, Fla. (Independence [Kan.] College)
Did not play at Independence College last season due to turf toe injury ... signed with Southeast Missouri State in 2003 but did not play for Redhawks ... timed at 4.5 in the 40-yard dash ... attended Glades Central High School in Florida ... earned all-conference honors ... prep teammate of current Purdue fifth-year linebacker Al Royal ... member of state championship 400- and 1,600-meter relay teams ... timed at 48.5 in 400 meters ... has three years to play three seasons at Purdue.

Deon Williams, RB, 6-0, 200, Loves Park, Ill. (Guilford)
Three-star prospect by Rivals.com ... ranked as No. 30 running back in the nation and No. 14 prospect in Illinois by Rivals ... All-Midwest Region selection by PrepStar Magazine ... first team all-state as senior after rushing for 1,713 yards on 178 carries (9.6 average) with 29 touchdowns ... set school records for rushing yards and rushing touchdowns ... as defensive back had 64 tackles and eight interceptions, returning two for touchdowns ... rushed for 1,100 yards and 10 touchdowns his junior year ... amassed 2,727 rushing yards and 40 touchdowns for career ... timed at 4.5 in 40-yard dash ... set school record with 10.6 clocking in the 100 meters as sophomore ... coach was Mel Gilfillan.

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