Cornerbacks Coach Ashton Youboty Bringing Big Ten, Professional Experience to Purdue Football

Former Ohio State cornerback and NFL player Ashton Youboty joined Purdue football as the team's next cornerbacks coach. He served as the cornerbacks coach at Youngstown State last season.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Ashton Youboty is back in the Big Ten, a place where he's felt comfortable for the duration of his playing and coaching career. 

After the departure of assistant coach James Adams to Wake Forest, Purdue football brought in former Ohio State cornerback Ashton Youboty to the program. He served as the Youngstown State cornerbacks coach last season. 

Now, Youboty is settling into his position on the coaching staff during spring practice. His goal is to work with the players to not only allow them to flourish during the upcoming season, but to also continue expanding his own experience. 

"Purdue was a good fit for me, it's Big Ten football," Youboty said. "I know the Big Ten, and it's an opportunity to continue to grow in the industry. For the guys that are coming back, it's an opportunity to help them grow in their craft. I always look to help guys improve whether it's on the field or off the field." 

As far as coaching on the field, the former NFL cornerback prefers to keep things simple. Youboty cited himself as being authentic, someone who came to the program to transfer knowledge while giving extra attention to those who need it. 

And his experience in the Big Ten, and even at the NFL level, creates a foundation of credibility that also allows him to connect with the players under his tutelage. 

Youboty had a standout college career with Ohio State football, earning first-team All-Big Ten accolades back in 2005 and was drafted in the third round of the NFL Draft. He spent six years in the league before serving in a variety of roles at Wisconsin to kick off his coaching career. 

Naturally, a former professional player with knowledge of Big Ten play will garner interest from current athletes. Youboty doesn't like to boast about his experience, but Purdue's players have brought stories out him during spring practice. 

"I actually try to stay away from it, but the guys do a really good job engaging and asking questions about it because they want to know about the past," Youboty said. "Know about the past and know how you move forward in the future. 

"They ask me a lot of really good questions, deep questions. How did I do this and that with my teammates? Just being able to relate to them on that level."

Over the course of the team's spring practices, several of the Boilermakers' cornerbacks have been recovering from injuries suffered during the 2021 season, including seniors Cory Trice and Jamari Brown. 

But their absence from the practice field opens the gate for new players to step in and take advantage of the opportunity. Alongside the young players gunning for reps, Purdue brought in three transfers at the cornerback position during the offseason. 

Purdue plucked the trio of Reese Taylor (Indiana), Tee Denson (Kansas State) and Bryce Hampton (Adams State) from the transfer portal to provide depth at a position that was stricken with injuries last year. 

"We talked about scheme, technique, effort. Those guys are big effort guys, that's why we brought them in here," Youboty said. "They're just doing a good job learning the scheme, adjusting to our terminology.

"They've done a good job showing they know what to do, and so it's just learning our techniques and getting consistent at it. But I think they bring dynamic quickness, aggressiveness that we need in the secondary."

Youboty has high hopes for the group come next season. He touted the players' physicality and athleticism, and even though the team doesn't have all of its cornerbacks healthy, Youboty's vision for them is clear. 

"A competitive group, and see who's going to be out there to help us,' Youboty said. "It doesn't matter who's out there. They know the scheme, they got good technique, and they're gonna play fast with a lot of effort."

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