13 days until kick, and two future stars share the number 13.
Koy Beasley
Freshman
Cincinati Ohio, Lasalle High School
Defensive Back
5’10”, 187
2024 Projection: Depth in Secondary
Beasley, a consensus 4* recruit, was the highest rated member of Purdue’s 2023 recruiting class for a reason; the dude can fly. I’m talking leave a flaming trail behind like Dolorean in Back to The Future fast. He rean a 4.41 at the Ohio Under Armor camp and hit a top speed of 21.7 miles an hour. It’s rare to see a legit 4.4 speed from a recruit. Mainly guys are running in the 4.6 range (still incredibly fast for the general population) and the wide receiver coach give them a .2 second discount. Beasley has legit track speed. He holds the Lasalle High School record for the 100, 4×100 and 4×200 and has a couple shiny first place state medals in the 4×100 (seeing as how he holds the school record, I’m going to assume he anchored both teams).
Long term, he’s the heir apparent to Dillion Thieneman in the deep middle. Short term, I would be surprised if the coaching staff doesn’t find something to do with him while his position is manned by an All-American. He’s listed as a defensive back for a reason. I could easily see him in a dime package. Who knows, as the season progresses, maybe Dillion gets to play a little closer to the line of scrimmage on some plays. All I know is this team needed talent and they found a deep well of it in Koy. Look for him on the field in some capacity as the season progresses.
Jaron Tibbs
Sophomore
Indianapolis, Indiana, Cathedral High School
Wide Receiver
6’3”, 215
2024 Projection: Wide Receiver 2 Deep
Tibbs was the player Purdue needed last season, but they needed sophomore Jaron Tibbs, not freshman Jaron Tibbs (if that makes sense). A late bloomer in high school, Tibbs put up career numbers as a senior, pulling down 61 receptions for 910 yards and a crazy 13 touchdowns. It took the former hooper a little while to grow into his body and figure out how to use it on the football field, but he’s built like a prototypical boundary receiver in the Harrell offense. A spot that was miscast with a slot receiver out of necessity last season.
Tibbs dominated with his physical ability in high school, and found out the hard way that doesn’t necessarily translate to the next level. He appeared in 8 games, pulled down 5 passes for 42 total yards. 3 of those receptions came in the Bucket game, where he made the first start of his career.
The coaching staff is high on Tibbs, and he’s continued to get bigger. Body wise (and body wise alone until further notice) he reminds me a good bit of Nuk Hopkins at Clemson (also a former high school basketball star). He’s not the fastest guy on the field, but he uses his big frame and body control to make catches even when it looks like he’s covered. If he can figure out Nuk’s hands, he’ll be set.
Look for him on the field at either the boundary or field receiver spot. You might even see him slide down and play in the slot when Purdue decides to put 3 big receivers on the field (like in the redzone) at the same time.