Purdue begins search for next Head Football Coach

Source: Justin Casterline / Getty

[West Lafayette, IN]- On Sunday Purdue Football did what many had expected.

After a 66-0 loss to Indiana in the Old Oaken Bucket game on Saturday, The Boilermakers fired Head Coach Ryan Walters after two seasons.

Walters finished his Purdue tenure with a record of 5-19, including an 0-9 Big Ten Conference record in 2024.

Even with the blowout loss to IU on Saturday, GoldandBlack.com’s Brian Neubert suspects the decision to part ways with Walters was made prior to the game.

“I think this has been going on for weeks,” Neubert said on Query and Company, “I think they were working on parallel projects in terms of A) laying the groundwork for a search should it come to that, but also if (Purdue) did anything in the last couple weeks of the season positive, they might have considered keeping Ryan Walters around but building a new infrastructure around him.”

Purdue Athletic Director Mike Bobinski nearly confirmed Neubert’s thoughts at his Press Conference on Monday morning.

“I don’t recall dates,” Bobinski said on Purdue Sports YouTube channel, “But it’s weeks, more than weeks. That’s the job, to understand what the possibilities and options might be. Have background information prepared, have a sense of direction in the sense that you land here, and here we are. It wasn’t as if yesterday, we have a search now. That’s not how you do these things.”

Prior to Walter’s taking over the program in 2023, Purdue posted an 8-6 overall record and played Michigan for the Big Ten Title. The Boilermakers also made a Bowl Game in 2022, playing in the Cheez-it Bowl against LSU.

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For Neubert, the young coaching experience of Purdue was one of the things that was evident this season. Jake Query suggested finding someone with Head Coaching experience rather than another coordinator.

“Purdue’s lack of coaching experience really showed up and was part of the problem,” Neubert said, “Whether you need to, now over correct and make sure that’s part of the solution, I think there’s a lot of different ways to do it.”

Purdue finished the 2024 campaign at 1-11 and without a Big Ten win. The season’s biggest losses were to Notre Dame (66-7), Wisconsin (52-6), and Indiana (66-0).

Hear the Full Conversation with Brian Neubert: