Purdue has found the man to lead the Boilermakers football team, and his name is Ryan Walters.
Walters, the former defensive coordinator of the Fighting Illini and one of the fastest-rising coordinators in college football today, becomes the program’s 37th head coach.
“I am incredibly humbled and honored to serve as the head football coach at Purdue University,” said Walters in a statement. “I am grateful to Director of Athletics Mike Bobinski and to President Daniels for this incredible opportunity. 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 led an Illinois defense that ranked in the Top 10 nationally across 17 different categories, including being ranked No. 1 nationally in scoring defense (12.3) and No. 2 in yards allowed per game (263.8).
“We are thrilled for Coach Ryan Walters and his family to join us here at Purdue University,” said Purdue athletic director Mike Bobinski. “From an early point in the search process, Coach Walters stood out because of the energy, passion and intelligence he displayed as a defensive coordinator in both the Big Ten Conference and Southeastern Conference. His meteoric rise in the coaching profession is in large part due to his unique ability to connect with his student-athletes as both a coach and mentor. With that in mind, we look forward to the culture and atmosphere of success he and his staff will instill in and around our football program, and we see him as a perfect fit for our University and this community. Please join me in welcoming Ryan, his wife Tara, and their two sons, Aaron and Cason, to West Lafayette.”
At 36, Walters is now the fourth-youngest coach in FBS behind Kenny Dillingham (32-Arizona State), Kane Wommack (35-South Alabama) and Dan Lanning (36-Oregon).
Walters played safety for the Colorado Buffaloes from 2004-08 before becoming a student assistant at the school. He then moved to Arizona for two years before bouncing to Oklahoma and then North Texas. Walters then headed to Memphis and Missouri, where he was eventually promoted to defensive coordinator before the 2018 season.
After six years with the Tigers, he moved on to Illinois, where he transformed the defense into a formidable unit.
Walters agreed to a five-year contract that must be approved by the University’s Board of Trustees.
