GoldandBlack.com: WR chooses Boilers

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (GoldandBlack.com) - For Brownsburg wide receiver Charles Torwudzo , the reasons for choosing the Boilermakers became too overwhelming to ignore.

Tuesday, he made it official, telling Danny Hope and Co. that he wanted to be a Boilermaker. In doing so, he becomes Purdue's first commitment in the 2010 class and Hope's first in-state recruit during his short tenure.

"The more and more I sat around and thought about it, Purdue is a great academic school and their athletics are on the rise right now," said the 6-foot-5, 200-pound Torwudzo. "One of the big reasons I chose them was talking to Danny Hope, he's a great guy. The reason I made it now as opposed to later was to get the weight off my shoulders, but also because I felt very comfortable with the Boilermakers."

Torwudzo chose Purdue over offers from Indiana, Ball State, Bowling Green and Eastern Michigan, among others. Ohio State, Illinois, Michigan State and Cincinnati had also expressed interest. Torwudzo, however, didn't feel the need to wait to see if others eventually offered, his mind was made up.

"The people who would have offered me later, obviously didn't want me that bad," he said. "I feel the schools that really wanted to be there were the ones who offered early. Purdue offered the day after signing day, so that showed they really wanted me and I wanted to be there too.

"The way they came after me and recruited me hard, it made me feel a lot more comfortable with them, obviously. Talking to Danny Hope on the phone and Mark Hagen and Brian Rock, all those guys, it really solidified my decision."

Torwudzo's visits to Purdue didn't hurt the Boilermakers' cause either. Living less than an hour south of West Lafayette, he's been to campus on multiple occasions, and likes the recent facilities improvements he's seen.

"Definitely, I was obviously impressed with their practice facilities," Torwudzo said. "I was looking at their new turf and grass practice fields they're getting ready to put in up on the hill and the Mackey renovation. Ross-Ade is a beautiful stadium, it's beautiful place to be."

As a junior at Brownsburg, Torwudzo played in just seven games before breaking his leg — he now says he's back to 100 percent — but still finished with 25 catches for 450 yards. In a full season in '07, he had 35 receptions for 555 yard and five touchdowns.

"I'm 6-5, so that's a strength and I like to think that I'm pretty fast, but obviously you can always afford to be faster," he said when asked to describe his skills. "I like to say I have good hands and try to be as physical as I can out there.

"I'm working on becoming a complete receiver."

Now that his decision is done, Torwudzo says he's happy that he'll get to continue playing close to home.

"That's another thing that played a role in my decision," he said. "My close family and friends would be able to see me grow as a player and as a person. For me being one of (Hope's) first Indiana recruits, I've grown up in the Midwest my whole life and this is the place I want to represent. I want to be here, where I was born and raised."