Illinois assistant, Colorado alum expected to emerge as candidate for Buffs vacancy

A current Illinois assistant and former Colorado player is expected to emerge as a candidate for the head coach job at Colorado, ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg reported Sunday.

#Colorado might prioritize head-coaching experience in its search, but there will be a very strong group of assistant candidates, headlined by CU alum Ryan Walters, overseeing the nation’s No. 1 scoring defense at Illinois.

— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) October 2, 2022

Ryan Walters is a top candidate early to be in the running at Colorado. The Buffaloes’ head coach Karl Dorrell was fired Sunday along with defensive coordinator Chris Wilson after an 0-5 start for the team.

Walters is Illinois’ current defensive coordinator and oversees the nation’s No. 1 scoring defense. He has ties to Colorado, as he played safety for the Buffaloes from 2004 to 2008. He went on to coach as a student assistant for Colorado in 2009.

Walters has plenty of coaching experience, but none as a head coach. He’s been an assistant at six different schools, including Missouri, where he was defensive coordinator.

For now, Walters is focused on Illinois, which takes on Iowa next week.