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Ryan Walters ready for new start as Purdue’s head coach: ‘I have been preparing for this moment my entire career’

Cole Thompson

By Cole Thompson

Published:

Ryan Walters will have the chance to keep Pudure’s winning ways alive as the Boilermakers’ next head coach. And he’s making the most of his time in West Lafayette prior to Wednesday’s Early Signing Period.

In an interview on “The Jim Rome Show,” Walters spoke of his time at Illinois and his adjustments in becoming a head coach. Walters said that he had been preparing for the chance to take over a program since he started as a graduate assistant at his alma mater Colorado.

“I have been preparing for this moment my entire career,” Walters said.

Hired by Bret Bielema in 2021, Walters reinvented the Illini defense in 2 seasons. Last year, Illinois ranked top 10 nationally in total defense (263.8 yards per game), scoring (12.3 points per game), rushing (99.8 yards per game), passing (165.4 yards per game), and 3rd-down conversion rate (28.99%).

Walters is set to replace Jeff Brohm, who returned to his alma mater Louisville following Scott Satterfield’s departure to Cincinnati. Walters, 36, told Rome that after his success in Champaign, he knew his next step would be becoming a head coach.

“Every decision I’ve made in my career, every stop that I’ve had has been with purpose. I’ve learned both what I want to do and what I don’t want to do, and the move to Illinois I knew was going to be my final piece in terms of being ready to be a head coach.”

Walters was also a finalist for the Colorado opening, but the job ultimately went to Jackson State’s Deion Sanders. The Boilermakers finished 8-5 and represented the B1G West in the conference championship against No. 2 Michigan.

The Boilermakers will face No. 17 LSU in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on Jan. 2 at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Cole Thompson

Cole Thompson is a freelance writer for Saturday Tradition who has covered college football and the NFL for multiple websites. Thompson is currently based in Houston, Texas, and also can be heard daily on SportsMap National Radio's 'Just Sayin It' from 3am-6am.