ryan-walters-getty.jpg
Getty Images

Purdue has found its replacement for Jeff Brohm within the familiar confines of the Big Ten West, hiring Illinois' defensive coordinator Ryan Walters as the Boilermakers' next head football coach. Walters, 36, becomes the fourth-youngest active head coach at the FBS level as the former Colorado safety now has his chance to lead a program following a wildly successful 2022 season with Illinois. 

"I am incredibly humbled and honored to serve as the head football coach at Purdue University," Walters said Tuesday in an announcement by the school. "Purdue is a world-class university, and our football program will pursue the same excellence exhibited across our campus. My wife Tara and I, along with our boys, are beyond excited to join the Purdue and West Lafayette communities. Boiler Up!"

Walters was hired by Bret Bielema to lead Illinois' defense after a successful stint at Missouri that saw him work on the staff for both Gary Pinkel and Eli Drinkwitz. In 2022, the Fighting Illini had one of the top defenses in the nation, ranking No. 1 in the country in scoring defense (12.3 points per game allowed) and No. 2 in yards per play allowed (4.26). Seven of Illinois' 12 opponents in 2022 were held to 10 points or less, and five opposing offenses failed to score a touchdown against Walters' defense. The Illinois defense had two players receive CBS Sports All-America honors at the end of the season, highlighted by first team selection Devon Witherspoon at cornerback. 

Break from the norm for Purdue 

Every new coach hire for Purdue over the last 40 years has been either an offensive assistant or sitting head coach with a history of leading effective offenses. Not since defensive coordinator Leon Burnett was promoted following the resignation of Jim Young after the 1981 season has a defensive coach taken the reins of the Boilermakers football program. 

That focus on the offensive side of the ball was influenced by the success of Joe Tiller, who took the Big Ten by storm with the spread offense and led Purdue to 10 bowl appearances in 12 seasons between 1997-2008. The coaches that followed Tiller were Danny Hope, who served as the offensive line coach under Tiller, then Darrell Hazell and Jeff Brohm, who both were sitting head coaches at the time of their hire but got started as offensive assistants. 

Schools will sometimes pivot from an offensive-minded head coach to a defensive-minded head coach, or vice versa, in the wake of a firing, resignation or otherwise unsuccessful end to a tenure. That is not the case with Brohm, who left after leading the Boilermakers to back-to-back eight-win regular seasons in 2021 and 2022 with a division title and Big Ten Championship Game appearance this year. The fact that Purdue is hiring one of the top defensive coordinators in the country speaks to the school's belief that Walters' vision for running a program extends far beyond what it takes to field elite defenses. 

Purdue should also be excited about what's in store for its defense and the ability for the Boilermakers to develop defensive backs and limit opponents' passing attack. With USC and UCLA joining the league in the coming years, and schools like Wisconsin willing to adopt a change in offensive approach, it will take a modern defense to compete at the highest levels in the Big Ten.  

A rising star in the industry

Purdue athletic director Mike Bobinski highlighted Walters' "energy, passion and intelligence" during high-pressure stints as a defensive coordinator in both the Big Ten and SEC, noting that his "meteoric rise in the coaching profession is in large part due to his unique ability to connect with student-athletes as both a coach and a mentor." 

As a former four-year player and multi-year starter for Colorado, Walters' name was mentioned for the opening at his alma mater as well as other jobs that were available in this hiring cycle. Purdue is not reaching with this hire of a young coach on the rise, but instead proved to the be job that Walters was willing to make a move for as he now assumes the role of leading a program in one of the top conferences in the country. 

After concluding his playing career at Colorado (2004-08), where he was named All-Big 12 Honorable Mention following his senior season, Walters worked as a student assistant and graduate assistant with the Buffs before moving on to Arizona and Oklahoma. He got his first full-time position coaching role in 2013 at North Texas, quickly comanding the attention of Barry Odom, which landed him at Memphis for 2014 before heading off to Missouri in 2015. Walters spent six seasons at Missouri, including three at defensive coordinator, and his background with an expertise in the defensive backfield shone through with the Tigers having one of the pass defenses in the country in 2019 and Illinois producing multiple All-Big Ten selections in 2022. 

The on-field results have been worthy of Walters' fast-track to a Power Five head coaching job, and by all accounts, the off-field impact that he's had on players and peers adds to the anticipation that he can turn this potential in production for Purdue moving forward. 

Inheriting a winning group

Though Brohm was successful throughout his six seasons at Purdue, delivering four bowl appearances and the 2022 Big Ten West title, Walters is stepping in at a unique time in the program's modern history. Not since the Tiller era has the program had back-to-back winning seasons, and that's what Purdue is guaranteed to have after going 9-4 in 2021 and entering this bowl season with an 8-5 record. The 17 combined wins in a two-year stretch marks one of the true peaks for Boilermakers football in the 21st century, and that winning culture is going to benefit Walters as he begins his head coaching career in West Lafayette, Indiana. For comparison, the program Brohm inherited in 2017 had won just nine combined games across the previous four seasons, and the program as a whole hadn't finished with a winning record since 2011.