Lafayette Times

Walters’ First Class Begins with 12 Boilermakers on National Signing Day

Just one week on the job, Purdue Football head coach Ryan Walters announced the addition of 12 new Boilermakers on National Signing Day as part of his first recruiting class.
 
"We are proud and excited to welcome the newest Boilermakers to the Purdue family, and I cannot wait for them to join us on the journey to win championships," said Walters. "This is just the beginning of our 2023 signing class. We will return to the recruiting trail and hit the transfer portal to put together a complete class in the spring. Boiler Up!"
 
After coaching the nation's No. 1 scoring defense during the 2022 season, Walters' first Signing Day as head coach featured eight players on that side of the ball. Winston Berglund, Ethon Cole, Zion Gunn and Dillon Thieneman look to provide immediate depth to the secondary. Drake Carlson, Jamarrion Harkless and Will Heldt join Purdue's defensive line, while Owen Davis becomes the newest Boilermaker linebacker.
 
Wide receivers have blossomed into All-Americans at Purdue, and the Boilermakers added wideouts Ryne Shackelford and Jaron Tibbs on Signing Day. Ryan Browne, a 6-foot-4 QB, signed with the school known for the Cradle of Quarterbacks, while offensive lineman Jimmy Liston chose to continue his career wearing the Old Gold and Black.
 
The entire class, along with information about each signee, can be found below.

2023 Purdue Football Signing Day Class 

Name	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Hometown (High School)
Winston Berglund	S/LB	6-2	200	Carmel, Ind. (Carmel)
Ryan Browne	QB	6-4	205	Venice, Fla. (Milford Academy)
Drake Carlson	DL	6-3	280	Nashville, Tenn. (Father Ryan)
Ethon Cole	S	6-1	195	Clermont, Fla. (Lake Minneola)
Owen Davis	LB	6-3	220	Richwood, Ohio (North Union)
Zion Gunn	CB	6-2	180	Orlando, Fla. (Winter Park)
Jamarrion Harkless	DT	6-3	310	Lexington, Ky. (Frederick Douglas)
Will Heldt	DE	6-6	235	Carmel, Ind. (Carmel)
Jimmy Liston	OL	6-3	280	Hinsdale, Ill. (IMG Academy)
Ryne Shackelford	WR	6-0	175	Elyria, Ohio (Keystone)
Dillon Thieneman	S	6-0	200	Carmel, Ind. (Carmel)
Jaron Tibbs	WR	6-3	195	Indianapolis, Ind. (Cathedral)

Winston Berglund

HIGH SCHOOL

•    Three-star recruit from Carmel, Ind.

•    Ranked as the No. 60 safety in the nation and No. 11 overall in Indiana by 247Sports

•    Four of his five grandparents attended Purdue

•    Named to the 2022 Indiana Football Coaches Association All-State Top-50 team

PERSONAL

•    Full Name: Winston Richard Berglund

•    Son of Brent and Alicia

•    Has two siblings, Berit and Meredith

•    Great uncle is in the Indiana Hall of Fame

•    Plans on majoring in Selling & Sales Management

Ryan Browne

HIGH SCHOOL

•    Three-star recruit from New Berlin, N.Y.

•    Ranked No. 8 in New York and No. 60 at QB by 247Sports

•    Florida's 8A Player of the Year and Mr. Football runner-up

•    Lead Venice to a 14-1 record and a state championship in 2021

•    Named the MVP of the state title game after throwing four touchdowns and 250 yards

•    Earned first team all-state honors

PERSONAL

•    Full Name: Ryan James Browne

•    Son of Jim and Denise

•    Has three brothers: Jonny Brown, Mitchell and Mason Choukourian

•    Father played four years in the NFL as a fullback, playing in college at Northwestern and then eventually Boston College where he played with Doug Flutie

•    Intends to major in Business Management

Drake Carlson

HIGH SCHOOL

•    Consensus three-star recruit

•    Named to the 2022 Division II-AAA All-Region team

•    Four-year starter and a team captain as a senior

•    Three-time all-region honoree

•    All-state for both offensive and defensive line in 2021

•    Ranked No.11 on the Tennesseean Dandy Dozen, a list of the  Top 12 Nashville area recruits

•    Invited to play in the 2022 USMC East-West All-Star Game

•    Won a state championship in the shot put and discus

PERSONAL

•    Full Name: Drake Richard Carlson

•    Son of Rob and Heather

•    Has one brother, Brock

•    Both parents were student-athletes at Tennessee. Father was an All-American in shot put and would go on compete at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Mother played tennis. 

•    Plays the violin

Ethon Cole

HIGH SCHOOL

•    Consensus three-star prospect

•    Ranked as the No. 81 overall safety in the class and No. 124 prospect in Florida by ESPN

•    Recorded 122 tackles, nine tackles for loss, two interceptions and two forced fumbles in three years at Lake Minneola

•    A three-year letterwinner, he helped his team to the Class 6A State Championship game in 2020

•    Named to the Orlando Sentinel's Top 60

•    Also runs track and was part of a 4x100 team that qualified for the state championship as a junior

PERSONAL

•    Full Name: Ethon William Cole

•    Son of Erica and Devon

•    Has one brother named Devon

•    Both dad and brother played football collegiately. Dad at Bethune-Cookman and brother at South Dakota State

•    Intended Major: Cyber Security

Owen Davis

HIGH SCHOOL

•    Consensus three-star prospect

•    Tabbed as the No. 41 recruit from the state of Ohio and the No. 84 linebacker prospect according to ESPN

•    Named the 2022 Division V All-Ohio Defensive Player of the Year, racking up 91 tackles, 14 for loss, five sacks and four forced fumbles in his senior season

•    Two-time first team all-state honoree

•    Played running back for North Union as well, rushing for 1,153 yards and 18 touchdowns

•    Named district offensive player of the year and first team all-conference

•    Also plays basketball, averaging 13.4 points per game as a junior

PERSONAL

•    Full Name: Owen Robert Davis

•    Son of Brian and Jen

•    Has two brothers: Hudson and Wyatt

•    Intends to major in Nutrition, Fitness, and Health

Zion Gunn

HIGH SCHOOL

•    Three-star recruit, ranked as the No. 102 defensive back by On3

•    Returned an interception 76 yards for a touchdown to help Winter Park advance in the playoffs in his senior season

•    Played on all sides of the ball, contributing as a wide receiver and on kick coverage

•    Also competes in basketball and track and field. averaging 9.0 points and 4.9 rebounds per game and running an 11.52 100 yard dash on the track as a junior

PERSONAL

•    Full Name: Zion Elija Gunn

•    Son of Trenton Gunn and Katrina Moffett

•    Has two siblings: Tristan Gunn and Elliana Moffett

•    Intends to major in Psychology

Jamarrion Harkless

HIGH SCHOOL

•    A consensus three-star prospect

•    Slotted as the No. 8 player in Kentucky and the 90th overall defensive lineman according to 247Sports

•    Won the 2022 Kentucky 5A state championship with Frederick Douglas

•    Named to the 2022 Lexington All-City team

PERSONAL

•    Nickname: Chops

Will Heldt

HIGH SCHOOL

•    Consensus three-star recruit

•    Tabbed as the No. 5 prospect coming out of Indiana and the No. 40 edge rusher

•    Named to the Indiana Football Coaches Association Top 50 All-State team on two occasions

•    Made the Hamilton County Reporter's All-County teams

•    Earned a spot on the IndyStar's 2022 Super Team

•    Finished his high school career with 190 tackles, 18 for loss and 10 sacks

PERSONAL

•    Full Name: William Henry Heldt

•    Plans to major in Finance

Jimmy Liston

HIGH SCHOOL

•    Consensus three-star prospect

•    Ranked as the No. 15 interior offensive lineman and the No. 27 prospect in Illinois by ESPN

•    Four-year starter playing several positions on the offensive line (center, guard and tackle)

•    Helped Fenwick to its first every state championship in 2022

•    A high-level wrestler, he was an Illinois state finalist at heavyweight in 2022

Ryne Shackelford

HIGH SCHOOL

•    Three-star prospect ranked as the No. 19 recruit in the state of Ohio and the No. 78 overall wide receiver

•    Four-time member of the Division V All-Ohio team, twice as a first team selection

•    Named a semifinalist for the Matt Wilhelm Award for The Morning Journal's Football Player of the Year

•    Led his team in receiving and rushing yards and touchdowns, going for 597 and 10 TDs through the air and 666 and 13 TDs on the ground 

•    He finishes his high school career with 3,969 all-purpose yards, averaging 99.2 per game

•    Team captain as a junior and senior

•    Three-time state champion in the long jump. Also a state champion in the 100m and 200m

PERSONAL

•    Full Name: Ryne William Shackelford

•    Son of Terry and Jamie

•    Has five siblings: Alexa Delorm and Sydney, Gabby, Jacob and Zach Shackelford

•    Plans on majoring in either Finance, Accounting or Engineering

Dillon Thieneman

HIGH SCHOOL

•    Three-star recruit from Westfield, Ind.

•    Ranked No. 12 in Indiana and No. 61 at safety by 247Sports

•    Older brothers Jake and Brennan both played safety for the Boilermakers

•    Named the 2022 Indiana Football Coaches Association Mr. Football at defensive back

•    Also a part of the IFCA All-State Top 50 team

•    Team captain as a senior and a two-time state runner-up

•    Three-time first-team all-conference and academic all-state honoree

•    Totaled 246 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, five interceptions and 11 passes defended

PERSONAL

•    Full Name: Dillon Maverick Thieneman

•    Son of Ken and Shannon

•    Has three siblings: Jake, Brennan (brothers both Boilermakers) and Kiera

•    Plans on majoring in Mechanical Engineering

Jaron Tibbs

HIGH SCHOOL

•    Three-star recruit tabbed as the No. 16 prospect from Indiana by 247Sports

•    Named to the 2022 Indiana Football Coaches Association All-State Top-50 team

•    Broke out in his senior season for 910 yards on 61 receptions and 13 touchdowns

•    Also plays basketball, averaging 9.2 points, 2.1 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game

Original source can be found here.