'It's a Dream Come True': Ryan Walters Introduced as Next Coach of Purdue Football
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue Football introduced Ryan Walters as its next head coach on Wednesday at the Kozuch Football Performance Complex.
Walters, who served as the defensive coordinator at Illinois for the past two seasons, is now the 37th coach in program history. He replaces Jeff Brohm following his departure to Louisville.
"There are exceptional people who intentionally engage with each day and each experience," Purdue athletic director Mike Bobinski said. "They have aspirations, they have goals, they have a motivation to achieve big things in their life. And everything they do is focused on growing, being better than they were the day before and moving themselves toward those aspirations.
"What we have sitting here today is an absolutely exceptional person in Ryan Walters, he is that person in every way."
Walters arrived in West Lafayette on Tuesday. As the dust begins to settle at the start of his tenure, he will spend the next month recruiting, appointing staff members and observing Purdue’s preparation for the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl against No. 16 LSU set to take place on Jan. 2, 2023, at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.
"Wow, this is real life," Walters said during his introductory press conference. "It's been a dream. I feel like I've been floating the past couple days. This is real, and this is awesome. It's a dream come true."
Walters, a native of Los Angeles, grew up surrounded by the game of football. He said his parents, Mark and Nicole Walters, had him when they were just 16 years old. Mark, a high school quarterback, went on to play collegiate football at Colorado.
"I grew up in the locker room," Walters said. "Football is in me. I grew up with a football attached to my hand and it just so happened that I was already bleeding black gold."
Walters said that like all kids, he began with a dream of reaching the professional ranks as a quarterback. As he grew older, he would eventually settle into a role on the defensive side of the ball. He played safety for four years with the Buffaloes before becoming a coach.
At Colorado, Walters was an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection and earned first-team All-Colorado honors from the state's National Football Foundation as a senior. In his final season with the team, he was elected a team captain and would later be named team MVP.
Purdue has built a rich tradition of outstanding play at the quarterback position, and Walters hasn't forgotten how paramount a team's signal-caller is to its success since becoming a defensive specialist.
"I know that the quarterback position is the most important position in sports, period," Walters said. "And so one thing that will remain the same here, that will not change, is that we will have a cradle the quarterbacks and we will have a den of defensive ends."
Walters brings with him a high-quality defensive scheme that allowed Illinois to lead the country in scoring defense while rankings second in total defense during the 2022 season. Among his top priorities as the head coach of the Boilermakers will be bringing members of an offensive coaching staff that will create sustained success.
"Offensively, we will be creative," Walters said. "We will be explosive both in the air and on the ground. We will be strategically aggressive, and we're going to put points on the board in bunches."
As a 2022 Broyles Award finalist, Walters began to earn national recognition for his ability to call a prominent defense in college football. When he took over as the defensive coordinator for the Fighting Illini, the team allowed 34.9 points and 466.8 yards per game the season prior.
He then revitalized the unit and helped the program earn an 8-4 record, including a 5-4 mark in Big Ten play, heading into a bowl matchup against Mississippi State. Walters will look to not only continue to pave the way for Purdue's offensive identity to remain prevalent under his regime but also lay the groundwork for a stout defense to become a staple for the Boilermakers.
"On defense, you already know how we get down. We will confuse and harass the quarterback. We will stop the run, we're going to generate takeaways and momentum plays. From snap to whistle, it's going to be organized chaos."
Over six seasons with Brohm at the helm, Purdue qualified for four bowl appearances, took down a trio of top-five teams and earned a Big Ten West title for the first time in program history. The Boilermakers will have a chance to register back-to-back nine-win seasons since 1997 and 1998 with a victory over the Tigers.
Walters will be tasked with continuing the team's recent success, and the next step in his coaching journey is already underway at Purdue.
"We're gonna build this program the right way," Walters said. "Through hard work, through class, through integrity and an unmatched competitive edge to go chase and win championships. We're not shying away from any of that. Words can't describe how humbled and how excited I am to be your head football coach."
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- Illinois Football coach Bret Bielema Congratulates Ryan Walters: Illinois head coach Bret Bielema released a statement to congratulate defensive coordinator Ryan Walters for taking the head coaching job at Purdue. CLICK HERE
- Purdue Names Ryan Walters as Next Head Coach: Ryan Walters was a finalist for the 2022 Broyles Award, which honors the nation's top assistant coach in college football. Illinois has an 8-4 record heading into the bowl schedule and leads the nation in scoring defense. CLICK HERE
- Social Media Reacts to Purdue's Hiring of Ryan Walters: The Purdue football program announced Tuesday that Illinois defensive coordinator Ryan Walters will be the team's next head coach. 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.