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Painter Inks 3 as Part of 2026 Recruiting ClassPainter Inks 3 as Part of 2026 Recruiting Class

Painter Inks 3 as Part of 2026 Recruiting Class

Ertel, Knight and Webber all sign scholarship papers.

Painter on Recruits Opens in a new window

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Head coach Matt Painter has announced that three prospects have signed their scholarship agreements and will join the Boilermakers for the 2026-27 season.

The class is currently ranked No. 11 by 247 Sports and No. 26 in the country by On3, but Painter hopes to sign one more player during the early signing period that ends next week. ESPN does not have Purdue ranked in the top 25 of their current recruiting rankings.

Guards Luke Ertel and Jacob Webber and forward Rivers Knight have all submitted their paperwork and are now officially members of the Boilermakers.

“We have a lot of similarities in this group, mostly in everyone’s ability to shoot. I think that is the one thing that really jumps out,” Painter said. “We need that from this group in that the defense has to worry about everyone and our spacing. That gives you great balance and you can do a lot of things with that. All three guys are going to be outstanding players and are very skilled and talented.”

On paper, this is one of the most-highly ranked Purdue classes of the Painter era. The only other time during the Painter era that Purdue had what was considered a consensus top-25 class came in 2012 (247Sports – 15; On3 – 16).

Luke Ertel | Guard | 6-2 | 170 | Mount Vernon, Ind. | Mount Vernon High School

  • Ranked No. 41 in the 247Sports Class of 2026 Recruiting rankings.
  • 4-star recruit ranked first in the state of Indiana and No. 18 among point guards.
  • Chose Purdue over offers from Wake Forest, Butler, Toledo, Ohio, Kent State, UAB, and Fordham.
  • Averaged totals of 22.7 points per game, 4.0 assists per game, 6.4 rebounds per game, and 1.4 steals per game in 2024-25 as a junior.
  • Shot 55% from 2, 45% from 3, and 91% from the line in 2024-25 as a junior.
  • Entering his senior season two points shy of 1,000 career points due to missing most of his sophomore season.
  • Made 144 free throws in 2024-25, good for 176th in the nation and 9th in Indiana.
  • Considered the early favorite for Indiana Mr. Basketball 2026.
  • Posted a near triple-double in the 2025 Indiana-Kentucky Junior All-Star game, scoring 36 points with 13 assists and nine rebounds.
  • Scored a career high 36 points to go along with grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing out eight assists in a 83-76 playoff win against Greenfield-Central.
  • Was also his school’s quarterback during his freshman and sophomore seasons, but opted to give up football before his junior year to focus on basketball.
  • Plays AAU for Indiana Elite.
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PAINTER ON ERTEL: “I don’t know if I have ever seen a player that we have taken with more fortitude than Luke has. He’s very determined, tough, hard-nosed, picks you up full-court and birddogs the basketball. He has really improved his arsenal in terms of shooting the basketball, not just as catch-and-shoot, but getting to his pull-up, getting into bodies and being able to make runners. He is put a lot of time into his game and he is very skilled and just scratching the surface. We are very excited to get Luke.”

Rivers Knight | Forward | 6-8 | 205 | La Porte, IN | La Lumiere School

  • 3-star recruit by 247Sports and ranked No. 8 in the state of Indiana.
  • Chose Purdue over offers from Illinois, Virginia Tech, LSU, and Mississippi State.
  • Played his junior season at Jordan High School in Durham, North Carolina.
  • Averaged 17.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.7 steals, and 4.0 blocks per game and shot 54% from the field in his 2024-25 junior season.
  • Recorded nine blocks in a game against Chapel Hill, just one shy of a triple double, after scoring 18 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in the game.
  • Converted 39% of his shots from beyond the arc in his junior season.
  • Suffered an injury in the winter of his junior year, forcing him to miss the rest of the season as well as the summer recruiting circuit.
  • Will attend La Lumiere School for his senior season along with Purdue commit Jacob Webber.
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PAINTER ON KNIGHT: “We are very fortunate to get Rivers. He didn’t play this past summer (injury) and wasn’t on a lot of radars. Rivers has great size and a quick release – he is a prolific shooter and can really stretch the defense at that four position. He has range to 25 feet and can consistently knock them down. He has more to him as a player that he will show this season at La Lumiere and it is all coming together. He’s worked hard to get in shape and get his body right after his injury. It was a short recruiting thing and P.J., stayed on him and we really liked what we saw with his athleticism and size.”

Jacob Webber | Forward | 6-6 | 175 | Kearney, Neb. | La Lumiere School

  • 4-star recruit ranked 33 in Rivals / On3 Class of 2026 Recruiting rankings.
  • Chose Purdue over offers from Tennessee, Nebraska, California, Creighton, Washington, Arizona State, Iowa, and Cincinnati.
  • Relocated from Kearney, Nebraska, to Indiana for his senior season and will attend La Lumiere School.
  • Averaged 21.7 points and 3.1 rebounds in 2024-25 as a junior.
  • Scored 32 points in a victory over Benson High, sinking 10, 3-pointers in the game.
  • Shot 42% from beyond the arc and 90% from the line in 2024-25.
  • Attempted over 58% of his field goals from three in his junior season.
  • Attempted nearly 80% of his total shots from three this 3SSB season, shooting 36% from beyond the arc.
  • Widely considered the best perimeter shooter in the country.
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PAINTER ON WEBBER: “Jacob gives us great positional size as a guard and is the best move-and-shoot player in the country. He has an uncanny ability to be able to sprint in and get his feet organized, and shoot to 28 feet and do that very consistently. He is just an absolute weapon the court and you have to give him a lot of attention and stick with him. If you want to take him out of the game, you’ve created a lot of space offensively. We think he’s the most-prolific shooter in the country.”