WEST LAFAYETTE − Josiah Hope was a top target for Purdue football’s staff.Since July, the 6-foot-2, 315-pound defensive tackle had been committed to a former Boilermaker head coach, Louisville’s Jeff Brohm.As the top-rated high school prospect in Kentucky according to both On3 and 247Sports, it was a perceived massive get for the Cardinals to keep the top in-state player.On signing day, Hope signed with the Purdue Boilermakers, becoming the highest-rated player (No. 430 nationally by On3) in their 2026 signing class. He’d previously been verbally committed to Purdue before he changed to Louisville over the summer. More: Purdue signing day live updates: Latest signing news, recruit rankingsHope joined safety Jett Goldsberry as potential defensive-boosting signees who were thought to be headed elsewhere. Goldsberry had been committed to Ole Miss.Hope had eight Power 4 offers with Louisville being the only non-Big Ten/SEC among those. He now joins a Purdue defense that sought major upgrades across the board after allowing 31.8 points per game in 2025.Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on X and Instagram @samueltking.This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue football recruit signs with Boilers, flips from Louisville