Purdue has its first 2028 commitment, and it comes from one of Indiana’s better young quarterbacks.
Oscar Sloan, a Center Grove High School quarterback, announced Tuesday night that he is headed to Purdue. Sloan, who checks in at 6-foot-4 and 190 pounds, is rated by 247Sports as the No. 7 prospect in Indiana, the No. 548 player nationally and the No. 40 quarterback in his class.
“I’m staying home,” Sloan wrote. “Boiler Up! Hammer Down!”
He later echoed that message on social media, posting: “I’m staying home!! Boiler Up! Hammer Down!”
Sloan chose Purdue after drawing offers from a long list of Power Four programs. His final group included Arizona State, Cincinnati, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas State, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi State and Wisconsin.
The commitment gives Purdue the first player in its 2028 recruiting class.
On the field, Sloan has already put together a strong start to his 2026 high school season. Center Grove is 5-1 through six games, and Sloan has thrown for 759 yards and six touchdowns with only one interception while completing 63.4% of his passes.
Last season, as a sophomore in 2025, he piled up 1,689 passing yards and 13 touchdowns. Center Grove won a sectional title, then fell to Warren Central in the regional round of the IHSAA tournament.
Sloan’s film matches the production. He has the size teams want at quarterback and the arm talent to attack every level of the field. His deep-ball touch stands out, especially the way he puts receivers in stride and creates explosive plays down the field.
He also shows the ability to fit throws into tight windows and can be extremely accurate from the pocket when the protection holds up. The area he’ll need to keep developing is his mobility, particularly his ability to extend plays and scramble when things break down.
For Purdue, the addition is a notable early win for quarterbacks coach Darin Hinshaw and head coach Barry Odom.
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Purdue Faces A New Scouting Problem At Exactly The Wrong Time
Illinois has created a little extra uncertainty on the eve of its meeting with Purdue, parting ways with defensive coordinator Bobby Hauck after the loss to Ohio State and leaving the program without an announced interim replacement. For a Boilermakers offense trying to steady itself after a tough loss to Notre Dame, that makes the scouting process a bit trickier than usual, especially with Josh Henson already pointing to the different looks Illinois can throw at an offense.
The Illini have spent much of the season near the bottom of the Big Ten in several defensive categories, but the wrinkle here is less about production and more about what Purdue might actually see on Saturday. Henson noted the possibility of a 3-3-5 structure built to confuse offenses, and with no clear word yet on who will be calling the defense, Purdue is left preparing for a moving target at exactly the wrong time. [Read more 🡒]