Posted on Tue, Dec. 07, 2004
Harding star Lymon commits to Purdue
Boilers were at top of receiver’s wish list
By Greg Jones
High school sports editor
Selwyn Lymon always came back to where he started – Purdue.
The Harding senior wide receiver had the Boilermakers as his top college choice all along, and they remained there as Lymon committed to play for Purdue. Lymon made the oral commitment to the coaching staff late Monday night, only minutes after being honored as one of the SAC’s best at the conference’s annual football/volleyball banquet.
“Yes, I committed to Purdue on Monday night,” Lymon said by phone. “(Purdue) seemed to be very excited.”
Lymon took his official visit to Purdue on Friday and by Monday he was convinced it was still the right decision to go with the Boilermakers and coach Joe Tiller.
“All this time, things have happened, but I looked at Coach Tiller, and he stood out the most,” Lymon said. “I went there and had a lot of fun. The players are real cool.”
Lymon chose Purdue over Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin and Penn State. When the recruiting process really began in late summer, Tiller was there from the start and never wavered, so neither did Lymon.
“It feels like a relief to come with a final answer and know what you want to do,” Lymon said of the recruiting process. “Sometimes I would wake up feeling different about teams than when I went to sleep, but every time I kept going back and forth, I would always come back to Purdue. I never really got over Purdue.
“The whole process is exciting to start off, but it becomes a bit of a headache. But it is an honor to know that so many teams wanted me.”
Harding coach Sherwood Haydock had a feeling that Lymon would end up at Purdue.
“Quite frankly, I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t go to Purdue,” Haydock said during the SAC Football Media Day on July 28. “I’ll be real surprised. What happened when Joe Tiller showed up the very first day (of recruiting) he could, that’s made a world of difference.”
The 6-foot-5, 194-pound Lymon is ranked by Rivals.com recruiting as the top high school football prospect in the state, the 10th best receiver in the nation and 83rd overall in the top 100 list of recruits. Rivals.com gave Lymon four stars (out of five) in its ranking system.
This season, while playing receiver and quarterback, Lymon had 17 catches for 350 yards and scored nine touchdowns. He also threw for 930 yards and 11 touchdowns. As a junior, Lymon led the Hawks in his first season with the program to the Class 2A state championship, catching 47 passes for 1,134 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Lymon will fit in nicely with the Boilermakers and Tiller’s high-powered offense.
“They are a very, very high-powered offense,” said Lymon, who has been clocked at 4.4 in the 40-yard run. “What kind of receiver wouldn’t be interested in that offense? Who wouldn’t want to play for a team who passes the ball that much?”
Lymon was named to the 2A All-State team as a junior and a senior. He is the eighth recruit from the state to commit to the Boilermakers program, including defensive back Jason Werner from three-time 4A state champ