Former Purdue coach Ryan Walters emerges as possibility to replace Steve Belichick as Washington DC

Former Purdue head coach Ryan Walters could be staying in the Big Ten for his next job. Walters has emerged as a candidate to replace Steve Belichick as the defensive coordinator at Washington, according to On3’s Pete Nakos.

Walters was the defensive coordinator at Missouri and Illinois, prior to landing the Purdue head coaching job. He struggled in two seasons leading the Boilermakers, going 5-19, including a 1-11 mark this season.

Even though Walters has a defensive background, his Boilermakers units struggled mightily defensively. Purdue had the No. 125 defense in the country in 2024, allowing 452.7 yards per game. The Boilermakers also struggled in 2023, allowing 382 yards per game.

With that said, Walters was previously an excellent defensive coordinator. When he was the DC at Illinois in 2022, the Fighting Illini ranked No. 3 nationally in total defense at 273.5 yards per game. Walters also had a top-15 defense at Missouri in 2019.

Steve Belichick to join Bill, UNC coaching staff as defensive coordinator

The Washington defensive coordinator job, which could eventually go to Walters, is open after Steve Belichick left to join his father Bill Belichick at North Carolina. Steve Belichick will join the new Tar Heels coaching staff following the Huskies’ participation in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl against Louisville (2 pm ET, Dec. 31, CBS).

Steve Belichick spent just one year in Seattle, where he improved the Washington defense from 99th (406.7 ypg) to 26th (324.8 ypg) nationally in total defense this season. Prior to joining the Washington staff under first-year head coach Jedd Fisch, Steve Belichick spent 12 years (2012-23) in multiple roles on his father’s New England Patriots staff, including the last four years as the defensive play-caller while also coaching linebackers from 2020-23. He also coached the Patriots defensive backs (2019) and safeties (2016-18) after first serving as a key defensive assistant before that.

The younger Belichick would be the second addition to North Carolina’s new 10-member assistant coaching staff, following the previously-announced retention of interim coach Freddie Kitchens, who will lead the Tar Heels against UConn in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl on Dec. 28 (11 am ET, ESPN).

“On the staff, we’ll hire the best coaches we can hire,” Bill Belichick said when asked about the possibility of hiring his son, Steve, during his hiring press conference Dec. 12. “I want to do everything I can to help this program and make it as strong as possible, so we’ll hire the best ones we can get. There are several college coaches that are involved in bowl games and so forth, so I wouldn’t interfere with the process at those schools, with their commitments to their teams. We’ll see how it goes.”