Purdue Basketball Lands Commitment From Elite 2027 Point Guard
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Purdue is pairing one of the top centers in the 2027 recruiting class with one of the best point guards of the cycle. On Sunday, four-star guard Kevin Savage announced his commitment to play for the Boilermakers, another massive verbal pledge for coach Matt Painter and his program.
Savage, a 5-foot-11 point guard from Marietta, Ga., announced his commitment to Purdue in an interview with CBS Sports on Sunday. He picked the Boilers over Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech and UCLA.
247Sports ranks Savage as the No. 36 overall prospect in the 2027 recruiting class and the No. 9 point guard. He was a priority target for Painter and his staff. The program focused a lot of their attention on savage and four-star center Isaiah Hill, landing commitments from both players.
Hill, an in-state center from Indianapolis, announced his commitment in May. He is ranked as the No. 18 player by 247Sports and is the highest-rated prospect to commit to Purdue in the recruiting rankings era.
Savage averaged 20.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game in the months of April and May on the Adidas 3SSB circuit.
A great point guard and center combination
It's obviously hard to predict what Purdue's roster is going to look like years from now, but landing a highly-ranked center and an elite point guard in the same recruiting class is a big win for the future of Purdue's program. Recent history shows us how important that combination is to success.
In 2024, Purdue had one of the best point guard-center combinations in the country with Zach Edey in the post and Braden Smith working as the maestro of the offense. That 2023-24 Boilermaker squad finished with a 34-5 record, won the Big Ten regular-season title and reached the National Championship Game.
Hill and Savage have that same potential, at least on paper.
Hill is a budding star, a player with tremendous upside as a 7-footer. He's already an explosive player in the post and an elite shot-blocker. But he is also an extremely versatile player for his size and can provide the Boilermakers with a strong post presence, as well as someone who can play around the perimeter on both ends of the court.
Savage is an outstanding scorer and an aggressive player with the basketball in his hands. He can score from all three levels, but also possesses great vision and can get the ball to open teammates.
Having those two working together, especially in pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop offensive sets, will be tough to defend.
Purdue has depth at center and at point guard
Players could leave through the transfer portal or declare for the NBA Draft, but right now, Purdue is going to have a loaded roster at the center and point guard positions.
For the 2027-28 season, Hill will join a center position that includes Daniel Jacobsen, Sinan Huan and Raleigh Burgess. Savage will team up with Omer Mayer and Luke Ertel in the backcourt.
To make deep NCAA Tournament runs, having depth at both of those positions is key. If everyone stays in West Lafayette, Purdue is going to be in excellent shape at both of those spots.
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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