Former Missouri Tigers DC Hired as Purdue Head Coach

Former Missouri defensive coordinator Ryan Walters has been hired as head coach at Purdue.

the Purdue Boilermakers put forth one of their best seasons in recent memory in 2022. 

The Boilermakers went 8-5, finishing with an appearance in the Big Ten title game and will have one more showdown this season in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl against LSU. The bad news for Purdue, though, was that the Boilermakers' head coach Jeff Brohm departed to take over his alma mater at Louisville. 

That vacancy has been filled now, by former Missouri Tigers defensive coordinator Ryan Walters, and there's hope that he can continue the winning ways Purdue's recently enjoyed.

Walters spent the last two seasons as the defensive coordinator at Illinois, but prior to that was at Mizzou from 2015-2020, serving as defensive coordinator for his final three years. 

Walters served under both Gary Pinkel and Eliah Drinkwitz while at Missouri and was largely responsible for bringing in a lot of the talented players that are currently on the Tigers' roster. Now, the 36-year-old will face his greatest challenge yet, becoming the youngest active head coach in the Big Ten.

In 2021, the defense Walters helmed at Illinois was one of the best in the country, finishing ranked No. 2 in the FBS for total defense. The Illini finished 8-4, allowing more than 20 points just one time. Walters will bring that defensive mindset to Purdue now, a division rival of Illinois, and try to make headway as one of the youngest head coaches in college football. 

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