Leave it to Giant Drum A&M Purdue to be the latest school to put names on the backs of the jerseys. And Brandon King is all for it (from JConline)

“It’s cool, isn’t it? I like it,” King said. “People won’t just say, ‘Hey, No. 7!’ We all get that. ‘Can I get your wristband, No. 7?’ Now, they’ll say, ‘Hey, King.’ ‘I’ll give you my wristband because you know my name now.’ “

However, the most priceless explanation of the change came from future ex-head coach Danny Hope.

“We have a lot players from outside the state of Indiana. Family and friends can’t come to all the games and they have to watch on TV. To me, it’s a no-brainer. If I was playing at Purdue right now, I would want my name on my jersey.”

Let’s see if I can clear this up for you, coach. There has been a system of clearly identifying players called “numbers” on jerseys for years now. If any of your players were really so proud of wearing a Purdue uniform, you would think they might have told all those friends and family watching on TV which “number” to look for. Hell, they might even tell them what colors the uniforms are.

If your players need names stitched on their backs so Aunt Whoever back in Hometown, Wherever will know who she is cheering , the possibility exists that those “proud” players have in fact not told anybody their number.

Now, you have to give Hope credit for one thing. The fact that he can even say “we have a lot players from outside the state of Indiana” is a testament to the fact he is actively recruiting in Florida. That means he is doing something Big Eleven Ten coaches should have been doing years ago; getting some of that esssssss-eeeeeeeee-seeeeeee speed to go along with that spread offense you stole from Joe Tiller’s Mustache ten years ago.

But when you are Purdue, getting Florida players means getting players that were not wanted by Florida, Florida State, Miami, the other Florida schools, the SEC, the ACC, the Big East, those dozen or so top-flight schools not already covered and the ten teams in the Big Eleven Ten better than you.

Maybe they aren’t ready to admit all they could be was a Boiler. Perhaps they are just looking to quietly slide through their years in West Lafayette, collect whatever useless degree Purdue gives footballers, and go back to Hometown, Wherever to become a junior-high football coach who occasionally gets sick of having to explain where Indiana is.