It didn't take long for Purdue to see what it needed to see in 2026 guard Luke Ertel

Purdue extended an early scholarship offer last week to in-state 2026 guard Luke Ertel and may not have to wait very long for a decision.

The 6-foot-2 junior-to-be from Mount Vernon in Fortville has fielded recent high-major offers from Butler and Wake Forest as well as Purdue.

The next step — or first step given how early it is — will be visits.

Then …

“I”m not one of those guys who’ll drag it out,” Ertel said. “If I like the fit, I’ll commit when I’m ready. I don’t need to wait ’til the last minute.

“I’m definitely not afraid to commit early. These are great schools and great fits for me.”

Ertel has regularly been at Purdue for team camps in the summers — Mount Vernon’s coaches are well connected in West Lafayette — and knows Butler particularly well, his parents both being alumni.

He’d like to visit Wake Forest, as well, but the two near-by schools have inherent advantages.

Indiana and South Carolina were among those who called Ertel after the July evaluation periods.

Purdue was decisive in its recruitment of Ertel, who was Mount Vernon’s starting quarterback as a freshman — throwing to now-Boilermaker tight end George Burhenn — before a foot injury compelled him to focus solely on basketball, where a football mentality very much shows itself.

Ertel’s a very good three-point and mid-range shooter, but also a physical, tenacious and versatile defender with quick hands and a knack for making high-impact defensive or simple hustle plays. He is inordinately productive as a rebounder, too. The sort of “winning qualities” Matt Painter often speaks of, combined with the sort of skill Painter covets. Ertel was roughly a 50-percent three-point shooter in adidas 3SSB circuit play this spring and summer.

“He talked about he doesn’t always look for the super highly ranked guys or anything like that, but just guys that fit his program,” Ertel said of Painter. “He just said he likes how I rebound the ball, how I am (defensively) on the ball, how I pick up 94 feet and just play hard.”

Painter watched Ertel closely in June at the Charlie Hughes Showcase for high school teams, then again at the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association’s Top 100 event at Ben Davis.

In July, Purdue saw every moment of his games, as Boilermaker 2025 targets Trent Sisley and Braylon Mullins were also part of his Indiana Elite 17-and-under team that reached the 3SSB title game in Rock Hill. Ertel is a 2026 recruit but was playing with his age group in the 17s division.

Almost as soon as July ended, Purdue spat out a bunch of Class of 2026 offers, Ertel being among the first.

“(Painter) said I earned it,” Ertel said, “and that he likes the way I play.”

Purdue should have at least three scholarships to use for 2026, but with a 15-man roster limit set to replace the days of 13 scholarships, there’s no telling at this stage how that might be handled. But what is certain: With Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer departing, the backcourt must be a priority.