Early Outlook on Purdue Boilermakers 2018 Recruiting Class

It's to early to tell what recruits are going to land where in 2018 being that this is a class of soon to be juniors, currently in high school, who can obviously change their verbal commitments. One thing for certain is that the Boilermakers must make a big splash in the 2018 recruiting cycle.

Looking at how the 2016-17 roster is shaping up there will only be two seniors, Jon McKeeman and Michigan transfer Spike Albrecht, departing come season's end. From a production standpoint McKeeman should not be missed (he's a walk-on) and who knows how Albrecht's season will go, but despite these two guys particular situations, the extra depth they bring to the roster will be missed (especially if Albrecht can contribute in 2016-17).

Though they're the only seniors on the roster heading into this season, the Boilermakers recently returned NBA draft prospects, junior Vincent Edwards and sophomore Caleb Swanigan, will again have another potential opportunity to test the NBA's new grace period. Now if they decide to not withdraw their names this time around, then that puts more pressure on a very bleak upcoming 2017 class.

In the 2017 recruiting class according to 247Sports there are only a couple of top recruits so far, Jordan Goodwin and Nojel Eastern, who have Purdue pretty high on their list of schools.

Blessed to receive offers from Illinois state, Virginia tech, and Purdue

— JGOOD〽️ (@jGoodwin1123) June 17, 2015

With the prospect of maybe losing four players this off-season, the gap during this recruiting cycle must improve to set-up for an important 2018.

Assuming before the 2017-18 season nobody leaves for the NBA Draft or transfers from the school keeping the roster intact, then by this time next year five seniors will be featured on the roster. The five players would be Vincent Edwards, Issac Haas, P.J. Thompson, Dakota Mathias and Basil Smotherman; who've been key components in helping Purdue accomplish a 24-12 conference record the past two seasons.

Losing these players will definitely be a huge blow for head coach Matt Painter and his staff, so the 2018 recruiting trail will become more important for Purdue.

Now looking at some of the 2018 recruits:

Carte'Are Gordon

At 6 foot 7, 250 pounds, Gordon is one the more physically talented prospects in this class.

At the Purdue Elite Camp Gordon discussed his list of offers and where Purdue stands within his recruiting landscape. His list of offers will most likely continue to increase, but as of now the Boilermakers are in contention for the Saint Louis, Missouri prospect. Painter and his staff are accustomed to showcasing hybrid forwards like Gordon from players like Robbie Hummel, Swanigan and Edwards. So if Gordon does commit, he'd add to that list of versatile forwards that have graced Mackey Arena.

Brandon Johns

Johns is a 6-foot-7 slimmer wing than Gordon. Out of East Lansing, schools like Michigan St. and Michigan are sure to give this hometown kid a look and actually some have already started. According to 247sports, Purdue is one of the teams on his list, so they have two years to work on this recruit.

Romeo Langford

The New Albany, Indiana shooting guard is ranked as the 21st prospect in the 2018 ESPN 25. Purdue is one of a long list of schools interested in his talents.

Not only is Purdue interested in Langford, but it seemed like on one of his visits he enjoyed his time there according to this article on scout.com.

As time begins ticking away on this current group of Boilermakers, Painter must begin setting the future of Purdue basketball and a strong 2018 recruiting class could do just that.