6/20/2016 football Edit

Purdue quarterback commitment has impressed this spring

Brian Neubert • BoilerUpload

GoldandBlack.com staff

Sunday, Purdue landed a commitment from California quarterback Nicholas Sipe, a Rivals.com three-star prospect who's been dubbed by some to be a "steal" for Purdue.

To find out more about Sipe, GoldandBlack.com spoke with California-based Rivals.com West Coast recruiting analyst Adam Gorney.

GoldandBlack.com: Your impressions?

Gorney: "He's a big, tall kid with a long arm, a big strong arm and I think he likes to sit in the pocket most times, scan the field and throw it all over the place. I saw him at the Las Vegas Pylon 7-on-7 event and a bunch of other places, but that's where I thought he was the best, where he seemed the most comfortable. He throws the long ball really well and can throw it all over the field.

"It was surprising to me Pac-12 teams didn't recruit him as hard as some other teams this spring. He has excellent size, looks good in person and his body will fill out. He's a little thin still, but at 6-3, 6-4, he'll be able to pack on some pounds and be able to handle Big Ten defenses in time. In terms of mechanics, they're all there, and in terms of throwing the ball and hitting receivers, his accuracy, he was probably one of the more impressive quarterbacks I saw in California this spring."

GoldandBlack.com: He talked about really priding himself on accuracy. Is that something that's stood out to you?

Gorney: "Yeah, that's definitely one of his strengths. He can throw it hard and get it there (quickly) when needed, but most important for a quarterback is getting it there accurately and that's something he's done throughout the spring. I've seen him at several 7-on-7s and that's come through. He can throw it 50 yards on a dime, throw back-shoulder throws, he can do all those throws accurately and do it consistently. If that's something he really fixates on as a quarterback, he has it."

GoldandBlack.com: Having seen the raw materials in him, where do you see the up-side lying? His body?

Gorney: "Yes. He's got the height. He doesn't need to grow at all. That's not an issue. Seeing over Big Ten offensive lines, that's not going to be an issue, and if he's got hands in his face, he's going to be able to throw over them and not have to roll out as much, though he can throw on the run. It's going to be a matter of putting on weight and getting bigger and I wouldn't think that would be an issue at all. He's a thin kid now, but so was Jared Goff five years ago. ... He's a guy who should have great physical upside, because the frame is there. Now he just has to add on to it."

GoldandBlack.com: A true pro-style sort of quarterback then?

Gorney: "I do think that's where he's most comfortable. I do think he can throw on the run. He's a big kid, but he can move a little. But I do think he's most comfortable under center or in the shot gun. I'm not sure but I'd think he'd be more comfortable in shot gun, just sitting back there in the pocket and scanning the field and getting the ball out."

GoldandBlack.com: You used the term "steal" in regard to Purdue landing him.

Gorney: "I think he was. There are so many high schools in Southern California with 10-15 Division I kids playing in the biggest divisions and he plays at a high school where he might have been overlooked a little bit. I think getting him committed before the USC and UCLA camps, before he could go out to some other places, I definitely think he was one of the better quarterbacks I saw in the spring. For a lower-level Big Ten school to get him committed early, I think it was a steal, because he does have a lot of tools that would have made a lot of other programs happy too."

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