Boiler Banter: Ryan Walters Made the Right Call by Moving on from Graham Harrell
This is the part of the job I hate, but it's necessary. I'm about to applaud Purdue coach Ryan Walters for moving on from offensive coordinator Graham Harrell after a putrid start to the 2024 season — but I don't feel good about it.
Hearing fans so quickly call for a coach's job is always a bit unsettling. It doesn't matter how much they get paid, coaches are still people — people with families, responsibilities and everyday struggles, just like the rest of us.
Right now, I have to set those personal feelings aside.
Sunday afternoon, Walters swallowed his pride and slammed the door on Harrell's tenure as offensive coordinator. Through four games this year — and an entire 2023 season — it became clear that the scheme just wasn't working in West Lafayette.
It was the right decision. No, wait, scratch that — it was the necessary decision.
Through four games, Purdue's offense mustered an average of 21.8 points per game, which ranked 14th in the Big Ten and 104th nationally. If you eliminate the 49-0 victory over Indiana State, that average drops to 12.7 points per game, which ranks last in the conference and 131st among the 134 FBS college football teams.
It seems like different problems have surfaced in every game. Purdue converted three-of-21 third-down attempts in back-to-back losses to Notre Dame and Oregon State. The Boilermakers were held to a paltry 56 passing yards in the loss to Oregon State. This past weekend, Nebraska's defense held Purdue's rushing attack to just 50 yards.
Purdue has six turnovers through four games, which includes quarterback Hudson Card throwing a pick-six in each of the last three games. The Boilermakers had 18 drives that ended with a three-and-out over the last three contests.
Not to overuse an old catchphrase, but the only consistency was the inconsistency when it came to Purdue's offense.
"Decisions like this are never easy," Walters said in a statement. "After evaluating our start to the season, I felt that it was best for our team to make a change now. We are appreciative of Graham's contributions to our program and wish him the best going forward."
Firing Harrell felt inevitable — it was just a matter of when. Walters made the move in-season, hoping that a change might give his team a spark with eight games remaining on the schedule. And, to be honest, after a horrendous 1-3 start, there are probably no negative side effects to the decision.
In other words, it literally cannot get any worse in West Lafayette.
Will Walters' move result in more success for Purdue? I'm not a prophet, nor do I own a crystal ball. If I knew, I'd probably be on a flight to Vegas tomorrow. What I do know, though, is that Walters demonstrated the ability to make a tough decision for the betterment of his football program on Sunday.
Right now, that might be the only positive regarding Purdue's football program.
Purdue's offense was stuck in the mud with Harrell calling the plays. Now, it's time to see if a different voice can help the Boilermakers navigate their way out of the pit and salvage something from a disastrous season thus far.
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