Mike Farrell Sports

College Football Recruiting, Opinion, and Analysis

Will Ryan Walters Keep Purdue on Track and Through the Storm?

Chaos in college football and Purdue’s historic challenges would be a difficult challenge for any coach.

Pin
Nov 4
Nov 4

By Rock Westfall

College football’s chaos and Purdue’s historic challenges would be difficult for any coach. But for an inexperienced leader, such challenges could be insurmountable. Is second-year head coach Ryan Walters up to the challenge?

In the Best of Times, Purdue Coaches Face Strong Headwinds 

The job as head football coach of the Purdue Boilermakers is among the toughest in the sport. Purdue is an engineering school with more challenging academic requirements. If whatever college football eventually becomes will still involve classwork, that makes recruiting and the transfer portal a significant test compared to other programs. Certainly, academic requirements remain a factor for now.

History shows that Purdue is outclassed in the Big Ten Conference. Purdue has 12 Big Ten championships in its history. Its last conference title was in 2000, its first since 1967. Ten of Purdue’s Big Ten championships were from 1891 through 1952. Purdue has never won a national championship.

Purdue’s last AP Top 10 finish was in 1979, with 1967, 1966, and 1943 marking its only other Top 10 seasons. Furthermore, Purdue’s last Top 25 season was in 2003. The Boilermakers have only five Top 25 campaigns since 1980. Purdue has only one double-digit win campaign in its history. In 1979, the Boilermakers finished 10-2 to finish 10th nationally.

Thus, history has a strong indictment against Purdue football becoming a serious contender. And the challenge has become much more daunting.

More Sports News

Going B1G Time 

As college football has evolved into four power conferences, two of the leagues have separated into superpower status. The Big Ten and SEC have command power. At first glance, that would seem to secure Purdue’s football future. But does it?

The Big Ten has expanded to 18 teams. The USC Trojans, UCLA Bruins, Oregon Ducks, and Washington Huskies arrive from the Pac-12. Washington played in the 2023-24 national championship game. Oregon was a near miss and considered more talented than Washington. USC is an iconic blue blood brand and sleeping giant. Only UCLA figures to struggle among the new arrivals.

The Big Ten is home to the 2023-24 national champion Michigan Wolverines and its arch-rival, the perennially contending Ohio State Buckeyes. Both programs are on college football’s Mount Rushmore. Meanwhile, the Penn State Nittany Lions are near that class. 

Historically, on the Big Ten’s second tier are the Michigan State Spartans, Iowa Hawkeyes, and Wisconsin Badgers. 

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Golden Gophers, Illinois Fighting Illini, and Northwestern Wildcats occasionally emerge to make for the third tier. Purdue would rank in that historic class.

At the same time, the Nebraska Cornhuskers are a historic Mount Rushmore program trying to regain past glory. And with head coach Matt Rhule, Nebraska will likely rise from the dead.

If Purdue struggled in the previous Big Ten alignment, there is little evidence it will consistently succeed in the current format, especially with an inexperienced coach and a single division of teams. The days of hiding in the weaker West Division are over.

The Current Lay of the Train Tracks  

As a rookie head coach, Ryan Walters led Purdue to a 4-8 record, including 3-6 in Big Ten action. It was a rough transition from the departed Jeff Brohm, who led Purdue to its most successful era since Joe Tiller took the Boilermakers to ten bowl games from 1997 through 2007.

Brohm posted three winning seasons in six years with four bowl berths. He put Purdue in the 2022 Big Ten championship game, albeit as the winner of a terrible West Division.

Walters arrived at Purdue as a career assistant with expertise on the defensive side of the line. He generated attention as the Illinois defensive coordinator under Bret Bielema in 2021 and 2022. That 2022 Illinois edition went 8-5 and played in the ReliaQuest Bowl. Walters’ defense ranked best in the nation for points allowed.

But last year, the Boilermakers ranked 103rd for points allowed. Purdue’s offense failed to help, ranking 88th for scoring. While Walters gets a pass for a transitional season, the performance was not a good first impression.

Purdue ranked a respectable 31st for its 2024 recruiting class after finishing 62nd during the transition from Brohm to Walters. Walters’ class was Purdue’s highest-ranked since 2019. Historically, Purdue has never been a strong recruiter.

Walters has done impressive work in the transfer portal. His 2024 portal class ranks as a consensus Top 10 with 11 power five players coming in. However, that is offset by 20 Purdue players transferring out with two impactful losses in Nic Scourton and Deion Burks.

For 2024, Purdue has an experienced starting QB, senior Hudson Card, who earned 2023 All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honors. And its most productive running back, junior Devin Mockobee, also returns. But top receiver Deion Burks transferred to Oklahoma.

Meanwhile, senior LB Kydran Jenkins returns to help anchor the defense with Big Ten Freshman of the Year Dillon Thieneman.  Jenkins compiled 7.5 sacks and 56 tackles in 2023. That sack total ranked second to Nic Scourton (10 sacks), who unfortunately transferred to Texas A&M. Thieneman had six interceptions and 74 solo tackles in 2023.

The loss of impact players Burks and Scourton is indicative of the challenges facing Purdue. Thus, Purdue’s prospects are mixed in entering spring camp. 

There are no immediate or easy solutions for success at Purdue. Ryan Walters will need time to rebuild. But today’s era normally allows a coach no more than three seasons. Patience is no longer a virtue in major college football. After a 2023 mulligan, Ryan Walters is on the clock.

Category: , Tag: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Pin

You’ll Also Like