The Purdue job is open. Ryan Walters was fired Sunday, one day after a 66-0 loss to Indiana to cap a 1-11 season.
Walters went 5-19 over two years with the Boilermakers after arriving from the Illinois defensive coordinator job. Nothing worked. He fired offensive coordinator Graham Harrell during this season, but it didn't make a difference. Purdue played five top-10 teams and scored 17 points in the five games, getting shut out three times.
Just two years ago, Purdue played for the Big Ten championship out of the West Division. But coach Jeff Brohm left for Louisville and the Boilers have been reeling ever since.
So how good is the Purdue job? What names could get in the mix? Based on conversations with industry sources, here is a breakdown of the job and the potential names to watch.
There have been both high highs and low lows in recent memory, but the past decade has largely been rough. Drew Brees took the Boilers to a Rose Bowl, and Purdue finished ranked in the Top 25 five times in seven years from 1997 to 2003. Brohm led the program to nine wins in 2021 and the Big Ten West title in 2022. The program was known as the cradle of quarterbacks.
But there have been five seasons of 3-9 or worse since 2013, including two 1-11 seasons. Purdue hasn't finished ranked since 2003 and has only reached the AP Top 25 in one year since 2008.
When Purdue has historically won, it was because of a lethal passing attack. Athletic director Mike Bobinski went with a defensive head coach in Walters, even if Walters hired an Air Raid offensive coordinator. Will Bobinski go back to an offensive head coach?
Purdue was the worst Power 4 team in the country this year, going 0-11 against FBS competition and finishing No. 112 in The Athletic 134 rankings. The 2024 team didn't have a top-10 passer, rusher or receiver in the Big Ten. It had two top-10 tacklers, which is usually a sign of defensive problems. Hudson Card wasn't the answer at quarterback out of the portal either. Sophomore tight end Max Klare was a bright spot, and one of those defenders with 104 tackles was sophomore defensive back Dillon Thieneman. But it's impossible to know what roster changes could come with a coaching change.
The Boilers were 10th in the Big Ten in the 247Sports' Team Talent rankings this year, a respectable place, but the roster needs playmakers.
As a Big Ten job, the general thought in the industry is that Purdue should be able to spend well, which is why hiring Illinois' defensive coordinator surprised observers two years ago. But this place is historically not a spender. Walters' $4 million salary was near the bottom of the Big Ten, and he's owed around $9 million in buyout without offset from another job. The Boilermakers have been near the bottom of the conference in football spending, and now the likely House settlement will bring revenue-sharing with players. How much is really available? Rival Indiana has made a big NIL push since Curt Cignetti arrived and then gave Cignetti a giant contract worth $8 million annually with a large increase in the staff salary pool.
At Purdue, Brohm had a $5 million salary, and a new football building opened in 2017, so there has been some effort. Purdue has resources. It's just sitting in a conference full of schools that have more, including in its own state.
Purdue doesn't historically have much administrative turnover. Bobinski is only the school's fourth full-time AD since 1942, and he signed a contract extension last season. While the Walters hire flamed out, Bobinski hired Brohm, and men's basketball just played for the national championship. The school also got a new president last year. University-wise, enrollments and applications are at a record high.
Army head coach Jeff Monken is an Illinois native and was in the mix for the Illinois and Kansas jobs in recent years. He's got Army at 10-1 this season, playing for the AAC championship in the Black Knights' first year in the conference, and he's won at least nine games five times since 2017. Monken has also made it known he doesn't have to run a triple-option offense at another job, and Ken Niumatalolo's success at San Jose State this year could help the perception of service academy coaches. Bobinski also worked at Navy in the early 1990s, so there's familiarity with the academies.
Toledo head coach Jason Candle is 72-40 over nine seasons with two MAC titles. The Rockets went 20-8 over the previous two seasons before the roster lost several key players to Power 4 schools in the portal and the team fell to 7-5 this year. Candle is a smart offensive mind who could fit the Purdue mold. He signed a contract extension through 2028 in October, but the buyout for him to leave is just $850,000. Purdue fans are still scarred from the Darrell Hazell era, would that make them hesitant to hire a MAC coach again?
Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson stayed loyal to Wake Forest through his success despite outside interest, with seven consecutive bowl games from 2016 to '22 and an 11-win ACC Championship Game appearance in 2021. But the portal and limited resources eventually caught up, and the Demon Deacons have slipped to 4-8 in each of the past two years. Still, he's won big in every job, and a change of scenery could help a reset for everyone involved.
Western Kentucky head coach Tyson Helton continues to win despite losing coaches and players to bigger schools. He's 48-30 and won at least eight games five times in six seasons while seeing offensive coordinators like Zach Kittley and Ben Arbuckle turn success into higher-level jobs. The Hilltoppers will play for the Conference USA championship this weekend, and Helton could be in the mix at North Carolina as well. The last time Purdue hired an offensive mind from WKU in Brohm, it worked out, right?
Ohio head coach Tim Albin has been in the mix for a few jobs in recent years and is another coach winning big despite program turnover. He took over from Frank Solich right before the 2021 season and is 29-10 over the last three seasons. The Bobcats will try to win their first MAC championship since 1968 this week, and the 9-3 record this season has come despite losing quarterback Kurtis Rourke to Indiana and losing its leading rusher to Minnesota last offseason. But again, is there concern here about MAC coaches?
Liberty head coach Jamey Chadwell is 42-10 as a head coach since 2020, winning at least 11 games three times across stints at Coastal Carolina and Liberty, including a Fiesta Bowl appearance last year. The East Tennessee native has won big everywhere he's been and runs an exciting offense. His lack of Power 4 experience has hurt his candidacy for some SEC jobs, but he's shown he can do more with less at Coastal. The resources at Liberty dwarf its peers and his salary is already believed to be around $4 million. He can afford to be choosy. But star quarterback Kaidon Salter just entered the transfer portal, and Liberty has lost some key players to the portal in recent years. Will that impact his thought process?
UNLV head coach Barry Odom is 19-7 in two seasons with the Rebels, the best run for the program in half a century. They hadn't won more than eight games in a season in 40 years. Odom has made smart staff hires, especially on offense, and improved from his 25-25 run as Missouri's head coach. He's got a conference championship to play in this weekend, and a College Football Playoff game if the Rebels win.
Washington State head coach Jake Dickert has found success despite the difficult situation at WSU amid the Pac-12's collapse. The Cougars started 8-1 this year and reached the Top 25. But WSU lost quarterback Cam Ward to the portal last year, offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle to Oklahoma on Monday, and will have to fend off suitors for quarterback John Mateer. Dickert has loudly and proudly stood up for WSU in tough times, but could Purdue offer a more stable situation?
Alabama co-offensive coordinator JaMarcus Shephard is an Indiana native who worked with Brohm at Purdue from 2017 to '21 and at WKU before that. He currently coaches receivers at Alabama and helped true freshman Ryan Williams become a star this year. He knows the region and he knows the school.
Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki has produced an offense that led its conference in yards per play for three consecutive seasons, two at Kansas and one at Penn State. The Minnesota native knows the Midwest, and he's an offensive mind in the mold that fits Purdue's history.
The ceiling does not look to be very high in the new Big Ten, but Cignetti at Indiana showed anything is possible. The questions come down to financial support for the program and whether the next coach can bring in or develop enough playmakers. At a minimum, this program should regularly be in bowl contention.