Purdue football’s first known commitment for the 2017 recruiting class is a Boilermaker legacy.
St. Petersburg Northside Christian quarterback Griffin Alstott verbally committed to Purdue after visiting earlier this week. He is the son of Mike Alstott, who starred at Purdue before an NFL career as a fullback with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
As a junior, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound Griffin Alstott threw for 1,725 yards with 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions for Northside Christian, completing 50.7 percent of his passes. He also rushed for four touchdowns.
Mike Alstott is head coach at Northside Christian. The family visited Purdue’s spring football practice on Tuesday.
“It’s a different era, but we think coach (Darrell) Hazell is on the right track,” Mike Alstott told the Tampa Bay Times. “We like the whole coaching staff and quarterbacks coach (Tim) Lester. it’s exciting.)”
Very proud to announce I am officially committed to play Quarterback at Purdue University #BoilerUp @BoilerFootball pic.twitter.com/2k7npewbQz
— Griffin Alstott (@GAlstott) March 25, 2016
Alstott reportedly also had offers from Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina and Troy.
Purdue currently has only two scholarship quarterbacks on its roster: sophomore David Blough, the returning starter, and redshirt freshman Elijah Sindelar. Incoming freshman Jared Sparks of Giesmar (Louisiana) Dutchtown will join in the fall.
Mike Alstott holds Purdue’s single-season (1,436) and career (3,635) rushing records. He was a 1995 All-American and helped the Buccaneers win Super Bowl XXXVII.
