Bret Bielema, Josh Whitman wish Ryan Walters well with move to Purdue

Bret Bielema has a new opening on his coach staff at Illinois. On Tuesday, DC Ryan Walters was officially announced as the next head coach at Purdue.

While the loss stings for Illinois to lose such a prominent piece of the staff, Bielema is happy to see Walters rewarded for his work. The head coach of the Illini also admitted he saw Walters getting a head coaching opportunity coming before long.

Congratulations and good luck to @Coach_Walters in his next step! #Illini // #HTTO // #famILLy pic.twitter.com/o2S2SoD5Y7

— Illinois Football (@IlliniFootball) December 13, 2022

“Congratulations to Coach Walters on taking the head coaching job at Purdue. Ryan is a talented coach with a bright future,” said Bielema. “We thank him and his family for everything they did for our program.

“This is something that I had seen coming for awhile now. We have had a plan in place that we will unveil in the coming weeks that will position Illinois Football for sustained success in 2023 and for years to come.”

Illinois AD Josh Whitman also chimed in and thanked Walters for his work in Champaign. Whitman also said the DC “certainly left his mark with the Illini.”

Congratulations to Coach Walters on an incredible opportunity with @BoilerFootball. He has certainly left his mark with the #ILLINI, and we will always be grateful for his work here. Looking forward to continuing our traditional rivalry and competing for the Cannon! 🔶🔷 https://t.co/zLEz3SjSPZ

— Josh Whitman (@IlliniAD) December 13, 2022

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.