Purdue’s defensive rebound in 2017 was impressive, but the 2018 is going to require a miracle of coaching and recruiting to overcome the 2015 recruiting class.
The 2015 recruiting class should be backbone of the 2018 defense. You need redshirt juniors and true seniors to lead the way at a program like Purdue. Even though Purdue’s recruiting has seen an appreciable improvement under Coach Brohm, the defense last year relied heavily on seniors, because Purdue isn’t quiet at the point where they can recruit plug and play defenders. Unfortunately, the class of 2015 was so poor on the defensive side of the ball, the Boilermakers are left with few upperclassmen options for the 2018 season.