Former Purdue DBs Coach Named Indianapolis Colts Defensive Coordinator
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Former Purdue football assistant coach Lou Anarumo is returning to Indiana, this time in the NFL. The former defensive backs coach for the Boilermakers will be the next defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts.
NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reported that the Colts are "expected to hire" Anarumo, who was most recently the defensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals. He was considered a "top target" in the league.
Anarumo will replace former Colts defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, who was on Indianapolis' staff since 2022.
The #Colts are expected to hire former #Bengals DC Lou Anarumo as their new defensive coordinator, a big hire for Shane Steichen’s staff, per the Insiders.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 20, 2025
After moving on from Gus Bradley, Indy lands one of the top targets on the market. pic.twitter.com/mLW04X7zZb
Anarumo spent eight seasons in West Lafayette, coaching defensive backs under former Purdue head coaches Joe Tiller and Danny Hope. He helped guide the Boilermakers to four bowl appearances during his time and was a member of back-to-back eight-win teams in 2006 and 2007.
Anarumo jumped from the college ranks immediately to the NFL, joining the Miami Dolphins staff in 2012 and staying aboard through 2017 as the defensive backs coach. He was then the defensive backs coach with the New York Giants in 2018 before taking over as defensive coordinator in Cincinnati in 2019.
The Colts are coming off an 8-9 season, missing the NFL Playoffs for the fourth consecutive year.
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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