Bret Bielema Congratulates Ryan Walters on Purdue Head Coaching Job
The Purdue football program announced Tuesday that Illinois defensive coordinator Ryan Walters will be the team's next head coach. Bret Bielema issued a statement to congratulate Walters following his departure from the Fighting Illini.
"Congratulations to Coach Walters on taking the head coaching job at Purdue," Bielema said in a release. "Ryan is a talented coach with a bright future. 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."
Walters spent two seasons under Bielema as the defensive coordinator for Illinois. Following the 2020 season, when the Fighting Illini ranked 97th nationally in scoring defense (34.9) and 114th in yards allowed per game (466.8), Walters lifted the unit to 29th (21.9) and 49th (367.0), respectively. This past season, the program was No. 1 in the country in scoring defense (12.3) while also ranking No. 2 in yards allowed per game (263.8).
Illinois had six defensive players earn All-Big Ten recognition in 2021, including safety Kerby Joseph, who was the team’s first All-Big Ten First Team defensive back since 1989.
Following the 2022 regular season, the Fighting Illini saw two more members of the secondary earn recognition, with Devon Witherspoon and Sydney Brown earning first-team accolades from the conference. Witherspoon was a Jim Thorpe Award finalist, an honor given to the top defensive back in college football.
Per a release, Walters will spend the remainder of the month appointing his staff, recruiting and observing Purdue’s preparation for the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl against No. 16 LSU. The Boilermakers will play the Tigers on Jan. 2, 2023, at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.
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- Purdue Names Ryan Walters as Next Head Coach: Ryan Walters was a finalist for the 2022 Broyles Award, which honors the nation's top assistant coach in college football. Illinois has an 8-4 record heading into the bowl schedule and leads the nation in scoring defense. CLICK HERE
- Social Media Reacts to Purdue's Hiring of Ryan Walters: The Purdue football program announced Tuesday that Illinois defensive coordinator Ryan Walters will be the team's next head coach. CLICK HERE
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