Boilermakers Country

Purdue Football 2023 Decommitments Ahead of the Early Signing Period

Jeff Brohm was reported to be leaving Purdue for the Louisville head coaching job on Dec. 7. Since then, the Boilermakers have had seven players decommit from the program. The Early Signing Period for high school recruits begins Wednesday, Dec. 21.

D.J. Fezler

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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — National Signing Day in college football for the class of 2023 is on the doorstep, and the three-day Early Signing Period is set to commence on Wednesday, Dec. 21. 

Jeff Brohm's departure from Purdue football to become the next head coach of Louisville was first reported on Dec. 7, and since then, the Boilermakers have seen seven high school players decommit from the program. 

Just one day before the Early Signing Period, Purdue has 12 players verbally committed to play in West Lafayette next season, featuring four-star defensive lineman Kendrick Gilbert out of Cathedral High School in Indianapolis. 

The Boilermakers currently have the 69th-ranked recruiting class in the nation, according to 247Sports, which is 13th among all Big Ten programs before the start of a new year. 

Here's a breakdown of all the players who decided to reopen their commitment since Brohm left the program: 

Shaborne Demps

  • Position: Wide receiver
  • Height: 5-foot-8
  • Weight: 170 pounds

The skinny: Demps is a three-star recruit out of Glades Central High School in Belle Glades, Fla. He is ranked by 247Sports as the 190th wide receiver in the class and the 198th recruit in the state of Florida. 

Including Purdue, Demps holds offers from seven different college programs, with rival Indiana among them. He took an official visit to West Lafayette on June 24 and recently visited FIU on Dec. 9 just one day after announcing he would reopen his recruitment. 

Terrell Washington Jr.

  • Position: Running back
  • Height: 5-foot-9
  • Weight: 200 pounds 

The Skinny: Washington, a three-star prospect out of Wylie East High School in Wylie, Texas, reopened his recruitment on Dec. 8 and earned an offer from Iowa just six days later. According to 247Sports, he is the 74-ranked running back in the country and the 186th recruit in his home state of Texas. 

Washington announced Tuesday that he was committed to the Hawkeyes. 

Keyjuan Brown

  • Position: Running back
  • Height: 5-foot-9
  • Weight: 205

The Skinny: Brown was recruited by former Purdue running backs coach Chris Barclay, who is joining Brohm on the Louisville coaching staff. The three-star recruit from South Atlanta High School decommitted from the Boilermakers on Dec. 8 before earning an offer from the Cardinals a week later. Brown visited Louisville on Dec. 15. 

With the loss of both Washington and Brown in the 2023 recruiting class, Purdue has no incoming freshman running backs committed to the program. 

Micah Carter

  • Position: Defensive line
  • Height: 6-foot-5
  • Weight: 260 pounds

The Skinny: Carter is a three-star recruit out of St. Xavier High School in Louisville and is ranked as the 50th defensive line recruit in the country and the top prospect in the state of Kentucky, according to 247Sports. Carter flipped his commitment from Purdue to Louisville on Dec. 10 before visiting his hometown program on Dec. 16. 

He was recruited by defensive line coach Mark Hagen, who will call the defense for the Boilermakers in the Citrus Bowl before joining Brohm's coaching staff. 

Saadiq Clements

  • Position: Defensive line
  • Height: 6-foot-5
  • Weight: 260 pounds

The Skinny: Like Carter, Clements will follow Hagen and Brohm to Louisville. The three-star defensive lineman out of Henderson Country High School in Henderson, Ky., flipped his commitment from the Boilermakers to the Cardinals on Dec. 11. He is the 82nd-ranked player in the country at his position and the fourth-rated prospect in the state of Kentucky. 

Ethan Fields

  • Position: Offensive line
  • Height: 6-foot-3
  • Weight: 320 pounds

The Skinny: Fields is a three-star recruit out of Dutchtown High School in Geismar, La., who flipped his commitment from Purdue to Ole Miss on Dec. 16. He is ranked as the 55th interior offensive lineman in the country and the 26th prospect out of Louisiana by 247Sports. 

TJ McWilliams

  • Position: Wide receiver
  • Height: 6-foot-1
  • Weight: 170 pounds

The Skinny: As of Tuesday, Dec. 20, McWilliams is the latest player to decommit from Purdue following Brohm's departure. The in-state recruit from North Central High School in Indianapolis is a three-star prospect in the upcoming recruiting class. He announced his commitment to Minnesota on Dec. 19, just one day after reopening his recruitment. 

McWilliams — who is the 210th-ranked receiver in the class and the 18th prospect in Indiana by 247Sports — earned an offer from the Golden Gophers on Dec. 14 and visited the program two days later before decommitting from the Boilermakers. 

This story will be updated. 

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You can also follow D.J. Fezler at @DJFezler on Twitter.

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D.J. Fezler
D.J. FEZLER

D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball. 

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