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Ishmael Aristide commits to Purdue
Jason Pughe
Updated June 21, 2008...
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The 5-11 190 pound defensive back from Orlando Evans High School, committed to the Boilermakers on Thursday. Aristide tore it up at the Gainesville Nike camp back in April, but tore his ACL during spring practice a month later. Despite his knee injury, Purdue was one of the schools that stuck by him and in the end that’s what stood out.
“After I had my ACL injury I had some schools back off,” he said. “They were one of the schools that didn’t mind and didn’t care about the injury. They came by the school during the spring and saw me. I like the whole setup over there both academically and the fact that I can come in and play early. I have a knee injury and there’s no guarantee that I will get any more offers. Even if I didn’t have a knee injury Purdue would still be at the top of the list. When you are down it shows you who wants you and who doesn’t. You learn that in life and Purdue wanted me the most. That is what made me commit there.”
Loyalty is a big thing in Aristide’s book, but there were some other factors that played a part in his decision.
“They were loyal and I wanted to focus on other things like my grades,” said the Orlando Evans star. “They loved me from the beginning and they really liked my film. I met with my defensive back coach, the head coach, the position coach, the recruiting coordinator, and I talked with the doctors about my knee. They all liked me and they were very loyal. I get a chance to play in the Big Ten. That was a big thing and they play big time football every week. The Big Ten is right along with the SEC. I spoke with the defensive back coach and I like where his mind is at. The way they are going to use me is definitely the way I want to be used.”
Now that his decision is behind him, Aristide can focus on rehabbing his knee and getting ready for next season. Orlando Evans looks to be much improved next year and he should be back in the fall to suit up for the Trojans. There’s a small possibility that he might visit a couple of schools in the fall, but he wants everyone to know that his loyalty will always be with the Boilermakers.
“I will probably take one or two visits,” he said. “I won’t be taking any visits to seriously overthrow Purdue; I wouldn’t do anything like that. I want to get my team focused at Evans. I want to help restart that program and be on the best recruits to come out of there. I want to be an example to the community and in Central Florida.”
Ishmael Aristide Highlight Video:
http://www.athletevault.com/Videos/IshmaelAristideAV.html