Ryan Walters Names Purdue's Interim Offensive Coordinator After Firing Graham Harrell
Purdue coach Ryan Walters has named offensive analyst Jason Simmons the team's play-caller after making the decision to fire offensive coordinator Graham Harrell on Sunday. Walters told reporters of the decision during his weekly press conference on Monday.
Harrell was fired on Sunday evening, a day after Purdue's 28-10 loss to Nebraska at Ross-Ade Stadium. Over the last three games, the Boilermakers had scored just 38 total points and struggled to get any momentum.
"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."
Simmons is in his first season on the Purdue staff. Last year, he worked at Miami (Ohio), where he was the running backs coach. He oversaw a group that piled up 2,213 yards on the ground, the program's first 2,000-yard rushing season since 2003.
Prior to coaching at the college level, Simmons spent five seasons as the head coach at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis.
Through the first four games of the season, Purdue is averaging 21.8 points per game, which ranks 14th in the Big Ten and 104th nationally. The Boilermakers are 1-3 on the season.
Purdue travels to Madison this weekend to play Wisconsin. Kickoff is set for noon ET and the game will air on Big Ten Network. The Boilers have not defeated the Badgers in two decades.
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