Purdue Basketball Lands Highest-Rated Recruit in Program History
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Isaiah Hill, a five-star prospect in the 2027 recruiting class and a product of Pike High School, will play college basketball at Purdue. The 7-foot center announced his commitment to the program on Friday, a huge win for coach Matt Painter and his staff this offseason.
Hill has been a priority target for the Boilermakers since he received an offer in August 2024. He's ranked as the No. 13 overall player in the 2027 class, is the No. 2 center and the top overall player out of Indiana.
Brian Neubert of GoldandBlack.com broke the news.
Purdue edged out Indiana, Notre Dame, Louisville and Kentucky for Hill's commitment. He becomes the highest-rated recruit the Boilermakers have landed since the inception of such rankings. Hill has a .9941 evaluation. In 2015, five-star forward Caleb Swanigan committed to play for Purdue and had a .9910 rating.
Hill is coming off a stellar junior season at Pike High School. During the 2025-26 season, the 7-footer averaged 12.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and 4.3 blocks per game. The Red Devils finished with a 23-4 record and lost to Mount Vernon in overtime of the Class 4A Regional 57-54.
With Hill's commitment to Purdue, the Boilermakers have now landed the top-ranked in-state recruit in each of the last two cycles. Point guard Luke Ertel was the No. 1 Indiana prospect in the 2026 class, leading his team to a state championship, and was named Indiana Mr. Basketball.
Purdue continues to recruit quality big men
Purdue has become an intriguing destination for nearly every 7-footer in the country. Painter and assistant coach Brandon Brantley have continued to develop post players at an extremely high level, especially over the last decade.
Yes, Purdue's success with bigs dates back to the "Baby Boilers" days when JaJuan Johnson was in West Lafayette. However, the program has consistently developed bigs over the last decade.
AJ Hammons, Isaac Haas, Caleb Swanigan and Zach Edey all earned NBA opportunities after their time at Purdue concluded. Trey Kaufman-Renn has improved his stock after earning an invitation to the NBA Scouting Combine.
That has to be an appealing quality to Hill, who has NBA potential. He already possesses the size and defensive intuition, and skill to play at Purdue, and can develop into a dominant post scorer and rebounder under the tutelage of Brantly in West Lafayette.
As it stands right now, Hill would be the third 7-footer on Purdue's 2027-28 roster, joining Daniel Jacobsen (7-foot-4) and Sinan Huan (7-foot-1). The Boilermakers would have a loaded frontcourt if all three remain with the program.
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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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