West Virginia's Graham Harrell hired as Purdue offensive coordinator
According to Tom Dienhart of On3’s Gold and Black, West Virginia offensive coordinator Graham Harrell has been hired to the same position with the Purdue Boilermakers. It’s the first major hire for new head coach Ryan Walters, being able to pull another Power Five coordinator to West Lafayette.
Harrell will be making the move to his third different program as an offensive coordinator, all in different conferences. First, it was the USC Trojans out west in the Pac-12, working alongside Clay Helton. He then moved across the country with West Virginia, spending just one season there.
Now, the midwest will be home for Harrell, bringing the Air Raid offense into the Big Ten. It’s not something Purdue is used to seeing but Walters is clearly trying to change things up for the Boilermakers.
Last season with West Virginia worked with quarterback JT Daniels for a majority of the season, averaging over 30 points per game. The Mountaineers averaged 399 yards of offense per game and unsurprisingly, most came through the air with 227.5 yards per game.
Harrell was known to put up numbers during his own playing days, being the quarterback at Texas Tech under Mike Leach. He is most famous for the 2008 season in Lubbock and specifically, defeating No. 1 ranked Texas at home.
The man knows a thing or two about the Air Raid offense. Now, he hopes to bring it to the Big Ten and have success with Purdue.
Drew Brees named Purdue interim assistant coach for Citrus Bowl
Drew Brees has immense love for Purdue, and he’s doing something unique to help his alma mater during a fascinating time for the Boilermakers.
As Purdue deals with a coaching change — Jeff Brohm left the Boilermakers for Louisville, and Illinois defensive coordinator Ryan Walters was hired to take over the program — there’s still the Citrus Bowl against LSU to be played. It’s a huge game for both the current team and for future recruits, and Brees is joining the coaching staff ahead of the showdown, per Ross Dellenger of Sports Illustrated.
“Drew Brees, the former NFL quarterback, is being hired as an interim assistant coach at Purdue, source tells @SInow,” tweeted Dellenger. “He wanted to help during the coaching transition.
“He’ll assist team in prep for the Citrus Bowl and coach in the game. He can also recruit via an NCAA waiver.”
The school later confirmed the news via press release. Brees doesn’t exactly have a stacked coaching resume, but the respect he’ll command from Purdue players and recruits alike is enough to make the connection a tremendous one.