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Purdue 2026 Class is No. 1 Nationally After 4-Star Wing Pledge

Originally posted on Last Word On Sports | By Neil Adler | Last updated Sep 2, 2025 1:23 PM ET

Purdue’s 2026 class is No. 1 in the country after the Boilermakers landed a four-star pledge on Tuesday. Jacob Webber, a four-star shooting guard/small forward, has verbally committed to Purdue and its head coach, Matt Painter. The 6-foot-6 Webber, a top-35 national prospect, is regarded as one of the best shooters in the 2026 cycle.

Purdue 2026 Class is No. 1 Nationally After 4-Star Wing Pledge

Webber recently took an official visit to the Boilermakers and committed to Purdue shortly thereafter. According to 247Sports, he was planning to officially visit Tennessee on September 11, but we’ll have to see if that trip to Knoxville occurs. Besides Purdue, Webber has received scholarship offers from schools such as Tennessee, Arizona State, California, Cincinnati, Creighton, Nebraska, Saint Louis, Washington and Iowa, among others. When Rivals updated its 2026 rankings not too long ago, Webber checked in at No. 31 overall, No. 8 at shooting guard and No. 1 in Indiana. Other recruiting services aren’t quite as high on him. The industry-generated 247Sports Composite places Webber at No. 90 nationally. Per Rivals national analyst Jamie Shaw, Webber is Purdue’s highest-ranked prep commit since former All-American big man Caleb Swanigan back in 2015.

Purdue men’s basketball head coach Matt Painter talks with coaches Friday, June 27, 2025, during the boys high school basketball Top 100 Showcase at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis. © Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Purdue has Pair of 4-Star 2026 Pledges

Following Webber’s commitment on Tuesday, the Boilermakers’ 2026 class is No. 1 nationwide, according to the 247Sports Composite. Over at the industry-generated Rivals Industry Ranking, Purdue’s 2026 cycle is No. 5 overall.

In late August, Purdue got on the board in its 2026 class when four-star point guard Luke Ertel verbally committed to the Boilermakers. The 6-foot-1 Ertel is a top-60 national prospect and a top-10 point guard. He attends Mt. Vernon High School in Mount Vernon, Ind.

Stock-Rising AAU Performances

In the latest grassroots basketball season, Webber suited up for the 17U team of the ETG Midwest in the Adidas 3SSB league. Last month, CBS Sports director of scouting Adam Finkelstein named Webber one his top wings on the 3SSB circuit during the latest campaign. In 3SSB play, Webber shot 36 percent from beyond the arc on high volume. He also connected on 88 percent of his free-throws. Multiple national analysts and scouts have stated that Webber is one of the top shooters across the country in the 2026 class. Shaw thinks that Webber is the “best movement shooter” in the 2026 cycle. He also notes that Webber is an agile, fluid and lengthy athlete.

New Home for Senior Year

As a junior during the 2024-25 campaign, Webber starred for Kearney High School in Kearney, Neb. In 2024-25, per MaxPreps, he averaged 21.7 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. He hit on 46 percent from the field, 42 percent from three-point land and 90 percent from the charity stripe. As a sophomore in 2023-24, Webber averaged 18.0 points and 3.6 boards per contest. He made 47 percent from the field, 42 percent from long range and 83 percent from the free-throw line. However, in early June of this year, Webber posted on X that he was transferring from Kearney to the powerhouse La Lumiere School in La Porte, Ind. The Lakers are one of the top high school basketball programs nationally. They compete in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League Scholastic (“EYBL Scholastic”), which has grown from 14 members to 20 for the upcoming 2025-26 season. © Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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