Ryan Walters will be sticking in the Big Ten.
According to a report from CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz, Washington is close to finalizing a deal to hire the former Mizzou assistant and Purdue head coach as its next defensive coordinator. Reports surfaced on Thursday that Walters was a serious candidate for the job, and it seems things have accelerated since then.
It’s a quick move from UW head coach Jedd Fisch, and a strong one. News broke earlier this week that Steve Belichick planned to jump to North Carolina and join his father after just 1 season on the UW staff. (Though UW knew it was likely to materialize when Carolina hired the elder Belichick.) In a matter of days, Fisch has lined up a coach who was widely regarded as one of the brightest defensive minds in the game as an assistant.
Prior to taking the Purdue job, Walters coordinated defenses at Missouri (2016-20) and Illinois (2021-22).
In 2019, Walters’ Mizzou defense ranked 18th nationally in defensive efficiency (4.9 yards per play allowed) and 15th in scoring (19.4 points per game). When Eli Drinkwitz was hired by the school ahead of the 2020 season, Walters was 1 of only 3 full-time assistants who were retained.
In 2022, Walters’ Illini defense was one of the best in the nation. Defensive linemen Jer’Zhan Newton and Keith Randolph Jr. each produced 13 tackles for loss, defensive backs Sydney Brown (6 interceptions) and Kendall Smith (5) were among the nation’s leaders in takeaways, and Devon Witherspoon was among the nation’s leaders in passes defended.
That season, Illinois ranked first in scoring defense (12.8 points per game), first in red zone touchdown percentage (35.5% allowed), second in takeaways (31), second in defensive efficiency (4.4 yards per play), and ninth in third-down defense (30.1%).
Walters was named as a finalist for the Broyles Award that year as a result.
He took the Purdue head coaching job on Dec. 13, 2022. Walters went 5-19 across 2 seasons. Purdue was winless in the Big Ten this fall thanks in large part to a defense that completely collapsed. The Boilermakers gave up 40 points a game (131st out of 134 teams) and had one of the worst run defenses in the FBS (5.1 yards allowed, 114th).
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Ryan Walters, former Mizzou DC, reportedly nearing deal with Washington Saturday Down South.
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