WATCH: ESPN Drops Highlights of 2026 Purdue Basketball Commit Luke Ertel
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When it comes to recruiting at the high school level, Purdue fans have adopted a new hashtag that reaffirms their belief in coach Matt Painter. So, when mentioning future Boilermaker and 2026 commit Luke Ertel, the phrase, "I'mma Trust Paint" applies.
Ertel, currently the only commit in Purdue's 2026 recruiting class, was featured on SportsCenter NEXT's social media account over the weekend. Highlights came as the 6-foot-1 guard played for Indiana Elite (AAU) over the weekend.
In one game, Ertel scored 22 points, grabbed four rebounds and dished out three assists in a win over Team Loaded.
Purdue fans are gonna love 2026 committed Luke Ertel 🚂 pic.twitter.com/uIHbSBOHOS
— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) May 4, 2025
Ertel is a four-star recruit, per the 247Sports composite rankings. He's listed as the No. 2 player from Indiana, the No. 8 combo guard and the No. 110 overall prospect in the class. He committed to Purdue in August 2024.
A native of Fortville, Ind., Ertel is coming off a stellar junior campaign at the high school level. He averaged 22.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game at Mount Vernon High School. The Marauders finished the season with a 21-6 record, reaching the semistate round of the IHSAA Boys Basketball Tournament.
Ertel was named to the state's Underclass "Supreme 15" for the 2024-25 season and was also an Indiana Junior All-Star selection. He will likely be among the top candidates for Indiana Mr. Basketball in 2026.
Painter has done an excellent job of identifying talent on the recruiting front, especially when it comes to recent Purdue players such as Carsen Edwards, Zach Edey, Braden Smith, CJ Cox and others. It looks like Ertel has the potential to be another perfect fit into Purdue's culture and system in West Lafayette.
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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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