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Purdue Boilermakers head coach Ryan Walters looks on Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

College Football Analyst Makes Bold Statement on Ryan Walters' Time at Purdue

Originally posted on Purdue Boilermakers on SI
By Dustin Schutte | Last updated Aug 17, 2025 12:40 PM ET

It's no secret that Ryan Walters' tenure at Purdue didn't go according to plan. Across two seasons, the Boilermakers posted a paltry 5-19 record, which included a 1-11 mark during the 2024 season. At the end of Walters' second year in West Lafayette, the program decided to go a different direction.

Walters, a brilliant defensive mind who helped transform Illinois' defense into the best in the country from 2021 to 2022, didn't have to wait long to find a new job. He was hired by head coach Jedd Fisch at Washington to be the next defensive coordinator for the Huskies.

Because of that addition, college football analyst Joel Klatt is buying stock in Washington entering the 2025 season. While explaining what he likes about Walters, he also made an interesting comment regarding his time in West Lafayette.

"I love what they did on defense, love what they did," Klatt said on his podcast, The Joel Klatt Show. "Granted, he's an old teammate of mine, but I think Ryan Walters is a terrific coach and a great defensive mind ... Remember, he was the defensive coordinator for Illinois under Bret Bielema, when they had that great run with some of those NFL players.

"Then, he got the head (coaching) job at Purdue. It didn't work out. Purdue really didn't support Ryan Walters very well, and he moves on. Now, he's back to coordinating a defense, which I think he's excellent at."

It's an intriguing claim by Klatt, who played with Walters at Colorado. Walters took over for Jeff Brohm following the 2022 season, a year in which the Boilermakers won the Big Ten West.

Everyone expected Walters' first season to be a bit of a rebuild, and the Boilermakers finished with a 4-8 record in 2023. With some positive signs entering 2024, there was a lot of hype heading into Walters' second year. But the program never gained traction, forcing athletic director Mike Bobinski to cut ties with the head coach.

Is that a lack of support? Or did this hire just not work out for either side?

Fisch explains why he hired Walters

Looking to make a big leap from Year 1 to Year 2 at Washington, Fisch wanted to find a coordinator who could transform his defense in Seattle. He believes he found that guy in Walters.

"I think he's probably one of, if not the best, defensive coordinators in the country," Fisch said at Big Ten Media Days. "To have him with us, with his elite schematics, as well as his personality and ability to connect with players, is a huge win for the University of Washington."

Fisch also said a big reason why he wanted to add Walters to the staff is because of the correlation between having a former head coach on the sidelines and earning a spot in the College Football Playoff.

"I went back and I looked at the last couple of years of teams that have won championships, I looked at last year's (final) four playoff teams, and all four of those teams had a former head coach on staff," Fisch said. "(James) Franklin brought in Tom Allen, (Steve) Sarkisian had Kyle Flood, (Ryan Day) having Chip Kelly, and (Marcus) Freeman having (Al) Golden.

"There's a great value there in having former head coaches (on staff). For me, it was one of the most critical things we could do."

This article first appeared on Purdue Boilermakers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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