Purdue Basketball Inks 3 Prospects in 2026 Class — Thoughts From Matt Painter
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The first day of college basketball's Early Signing Period for the 2026 recruiting class was a productive one for Purdue. Coach Matt Painter inked three players on Wednesday: Luke Ertel, Jacob Webber, and Rivers Knight.
All three players verbally committed to play for the Boilermakers previously, but now they've signed their National Letter of Intent. It's a good start to the 2026 recruiting class, but Painter also confirmed that Purdue will look to add more players.
Currently, Purdue's 2026 recruiting class ranks 11th in 247Sports' rankings.
Below is a quick rundown of the three players Purdue signed on Wednesday, as well as Painter's comments on each prospect.
Purdue Basketball's 2026 Signees
Luke Ertel
- Position: Point guard
- Height: 6-foot-1
- 247Sports ranking: No. 41
- Star ranking: 4-star
- What Painter said: "I don't know if I've ever seen a high school guy that we've taken with more intestinal fortitude. Just a determined player, tough, hard-nosed, gets after it, picks you up full court, birddogs the basketball. He's really improved his arsenal in terms of shooting the basketball. Not just catching and shooting, but getting to his pull-up, getting to bodies, bouncing off bodies, being able to make floaters and runners. He's put a lot of time into his game."
Jacob Webber
- Position: Small forward
- Height: 6-foot-6
- 247Sports ranking: No. 72
- Star ranking: 4-star
- What Painter said: "Jacob Webber gives us great positional size as a guard. He's probably the best move-and-shoot guy in the country. Great size, has an uncanny ability to be able to sprint in and get his feet organized and be able to twist all in one motion and shoot from 25 to 28 feet, and do it consistently. He's just an absolute weapon on the court, you have to give him a lot of attention, and you have to stick with him."
Rivers Knight
- Position: Power forward
- Height: 6-foot-8
- 247Sports ranking: No. 209
- Star ranking: 3-star
- What Painter said: "We were very fortunate to get Rivers Knight. He didn't play this past summer. Good size, quick release, prolific shooter, also. A guy who can really stretch the defense, and I think that's a very important thing at that four position ... I think having a guy like Rivers, who has range to 25 feet and can consistently knock down shots, is really going to help you. I think he has more to him as a player."
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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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