Drew Brees Talks Return to Purdue, Coaching in the Citrus Bowl, Ryan Walters and More
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — With a whirlwind of change gusting over the Purdue football program in recent weeks, former quarterback Drew Brees and his return to West Lafayette was just a simple phone call away.
As Jeff Brohm and several other coaches departed for Louisville, Brees reached out to Purdue athletic director Mike Bobinski and said he was available as a resource. So when the opportunity presented itself to join the program as an assistant coach for the upcoming Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, Brees wanted to give the Boilermakers the best chance at ending a memorable season on top.
"It's an honor to be back," Brees said. "I couldn't be more excited to be around this team in particular, especially with the journey that they've had this year. As a former player, and I think I speak for all the guys who have had the honor of being a Boilermaker football player here, we all live and die with the team each and every year."
1st practice with 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 @drewbrees. pic.twitter.com/a00NzOJXx6
— Purdue Football (@BoilerFootball) December 19, 2022
Purdue enters its matchup with No. 16 LSU with an 8-5 overall record, which includes a 6-3 mark in conference play. The team captured its first Big Ten West title in program history and went on to play No. 2 Michigan in the conference championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis but eventually suffered a 43-22 loss.
When the Boilermakers take on the Tigers on Jan. 2 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, they will have a chance to reach nine wins in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1997 and 1998.
Brees, who spent 15 years in New Orleans playing for the Saints, said he is familiar with the LSU football program due to the program's close proximity in Baton Rouge. He also connected with coach Brian Kelly as a broadcaster for NBC last year providing coverage of Notre Dame football.
"I know all those guys well," Brees said. "And I have a great respect and admiration for that program and obviously what they've been able to accomplish. Also Brian Kelly, my experience with him doing the NBC games last year with Notre Dame. This is a lot of fun for me, and I'm going to enjoy every second of it."
While players and fans may certainly think that "Coach Brees" has a nice ring to it, he said taking on this opportunity isn't a sign of things to come. After a 20-year NFL career and appearing with NBC as a broadcaster following his retirement, the 43-year-old Brees is now prioritizing spending more time with his family.
"My kids are at an age now where I certainly want to be around. I love being around and don't want to miss a thing with them," Brees said. "I think the coaching lifestyle doesn't quite fit where I'm at in my life right now. Not to say that that'll never be the case."
Brees has 20 years of professional football experience under his belt and still owns the NFL record for career completion percentage while also ranking second in passing yards, passing touchdowns, passing attempts and completions.
He said he's spent time attempting to write down and plan how he intends to communicate his wealth of knowledge, wisdom and success to the players within the program without overloading them with vast amounts of information all at once.
"You don't want to throw it at them and make them feel like they're drinking from a fire hose," Brees said. "I think it's just little by little. We actually started off the day today just talking about some of the fundamentals of throwing the football and then some of the drill work that I utilized throughout my career and things that they can begin to work into their repertoire.
"Each guy is a little bit different in regards to their skill set, in regards to the things that they do well, the things that they need to work on. So at the end of the day, I want this experience to be for them, and try to extract all the things that they need out of me in order to put them in the best position to succeed."
In the short time that Brees has been in and around the Purdue football facilities, he's been able to interact with Ryan Walters, who was introduced as the team's next head coach last week.
📍 New assistant coach @drewbrees has arrived. #BoilerUp pic.twitter.com/OzyI5neL3L
— Purdue Football (@BoilerFootball) December 18, 2022
Walters won't have a hand in preparing the Boilermakers for the Citrus Bowl, as he spends the remainder of the month appointing his staff, recruiting and observing the team.
"I've been really impressed with him. I love his demeanor, there's an air of confidence with him," Brees said of Walters. "I think he definitely has a plan. I can already tell that his attention to detail is next-level. Just little things, I think the guys are really going to love playing for him.
"I've heard so many good things about him. This is the first time we've had a defensive-focused guy here in a while. I think that's a good thing. Not to say that that has ever been overlooked, but there's just a mentality that comes with a defensive head coach that I think permeates throughout the whole team."
Brees said he also spoke with Graham Harrell, who was reported to be joining Walters on the Purdue coaching staff as the program's next offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Harrell previously served in the same position at North Texas, USC and West Virginia in the last seven seasons.
As an assistant coach, Brees is allowed to work on the field with student-athletes and participate in recruiting activities. He confirmed that he spoke to recruits over the past several days.
Brees will have a chance to be with his family during Christmas before leaving for Orlando to meet Purdue for its week of practice leading up to the bowl game in early January.
"I didn't want us to forget just what a unique opportunity this was in this bowl game, in the Citrus Bowl to go play LSU and finish the season off the right way," Brees said. "These guys have earned it, and they deserve an incredible experience."
Related Stories on Purdue Football
- Brian Brohm Relishing in Opportunity as Purdue Interim Head Coach: After Jeff Brohm's departure to Louisville, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Brian Brohm was named Purdue's interim head coach for the Citrus Bowl. Amid changes within the program, he is set on giving the team the best chance to win in Orlando. CLICK HERE
- Citrus Bowl Gives Mockobee Chance to Chase Another Milestone: Purdue redshirt freshman running back Devin Mockobee is nearing 1,000 yards rushing with one more game left to play. His magical season will come to an end when the team takes on LSU in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl. CLICK HERE
- Aidan O'Connell, Payne Durham, Charlie Jones Opt Out of Citrus Bowl: Purdue will be without quarterback Aidan O'Connell, tight end Payne Durham and wide receiver Charlie Jones when it takes on No. 16 LSU in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl. CLICK HERE
- Cory Trice Opts Out of Citrus Bowl: Redshirt senior cornerback Cory Trice will not play in Purdue's game against LSU in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl. He announced he will enter the 2023 NFL Draft. CLICK HERE
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D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball.