Purdue and Head Coach Matt Painter have secured two important commitments over the last several days for the 2026 recruiting class. This class will be an incredibly important one for the immediate and long term future of the program with the pending graduation of Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, and Trey Kaufman-Renn along with transfers Oscar […]
Purdue and Head Coach Matt Painter have secured two important commitments over the last several days for the 2026 recruiting class. This class will be an incredibly important one for the immediate and long term future of the program with the pending graduation of Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, and Trey Kaufman-Renn along with transfers Oscar Cluff and Liam Murphy also in their final year. This likely means this will be a large class to first support the established players already in the program while elevating themselves into prominent roles.
Although the class is currently anchored by point guard Luke Ertel, one of the highest rising seniors in the country, the two players Matt Painter added may prove to be just as important. With Ertel ranked 42nd nationally (Ertel is the third highest rated recruit in the 247 Sports era for the Boilers at .9822), Jacob Webber checks in just behind Ertel at 55th and .9805. Webber is a 6’6 wing from Kearney, Nebraska who transferred to La Lumiere School for his senior season. He is known to be one of, if not the best, shooters in the 2026 class.
Adam Finkenstein, 247 Sports Director of Scouting had this to say about Webber:
Webber is one of the toughest three-point shot-makers in high school basketball. He can stop on a dime in transition, fly off pin-downs to make movement threes, make them with deep range, and an exceptionally quick release. He’s a true specialist who attempted nearly 80% of his total shots from behind the arc this 3SSB season, converting of 36% of them. His willingness to settle for, if not hunt, these tougher threes was the reason that percentage wasn’t even higher, but when he gets hot, he can make them in extreme bunches. His 88% from the free-throw line only further illustrates his shooting prowess.
Because Webber’s range is so deep, he has extreme gravity, and immediately changes the spacing of his team. He’s also the type of shot-maker that can open up a playbook and allow coaches to run him off various type of screening actions. He’s not a versatile scoring threat though. He has a solid mid-range game but puts very little pressure on the rim (only 7% of his total shots per Synergy) and isn’t much of a playmaking threat for others (0.7 assists).
Webber has good wing size at 6-foot-6 and a frame that should ultimately fill-out nicely. While he looks relatively undeveloped physically, he’s actually older for his grade, and turned 18 in June of 2025. He’s a fluid runner and mover who should ultimately be defensively sound, but is still relatively early in that process.
If that description sounds an awful lot like Fletcher Loyer, Ryan Cline, and Dakota Mathias, it should. Matt Painter has put a premium on this type of player to come into the program and provide the type of shot making presence to provide relief for his interior players and point guards. Webber’s skill set aligns with the actions and counters that have become the staple of one of college basketball’s most efficient offenses over the last decade.
Webber chose Purdue over offers from Tennessee, Arizona State, Creighton, and Cincinnati.
More recently Purdue landed fellow LaLu transfer Rivers Knight, a 6’8 power forward originally from La Porte, Indiana. A bit under-recruited throughout his process, Knight secured an offer during his official visit prior to his commitment on September 28th. The 6’9 big man is one of the more intriguing prospects in the country given his size, coordination, and ability to seemingly do everything at a high level.
PhenomHoops.com had this to say on Knight’s commitment:
An intriguing piece for Purdue and certainly one that will be worth watching. Knight has a lot of intangibles in his game that you will like especially with his blend of size, mobility, and ability to stretch the floor. He will still be one that has work left to do in his development, but at 6’9 and with his skillset, there are things to like. When you watch him operate, Knight shows tremendous IQ and feel, operating well inside the paint, running the floor, and also being able to comfortably pop out and knock down shots. He displays touch and feel, along with versatility as a big man. Again, I think he could be a nice piece down the road, as Purdue hopes they found a sneaky prospect in the coming years.
Rivers was slowed this past summer by an ankle injury that likely slowed most of his momentum during the prime recruiting time for most major recruits. He is likely to redshirt following his prep year at LaLu and that kind of buy-in is what has built Purdue’s foundation of success. Knight offers a unique skill set similar to that of Kaufman-Renn in that he likely has a body that will be able to compete in the interior post as a defender but laterally quick enough to defend in space from the power forward position (please understand this is not saying he is going to be TKR).
High Level Hoops had this to say about Knight’s fit from an offensive perspective:
Painter’s offense demands spacing, ball security, and decision-making. Knight fits that framework. He can function as a pick-and-pop forward, punish doubles on the post by relocating behind the arc, and keep the floor balanced when the offense is running. His presence could also make life easier for the team’s interior players, who often face packed defenses when the floor isn’t properly spaced.
Knight chose the Boilers over offers from Illinois, LSU, Virginia Tech, and VCU.
Category: General Sports
