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Arrival of Purdue OC Graham Harrell already stirring interest in 'high-profile quarterbacks'

On3 imageby:Tom Dienhart•12/22/22•

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The hunt for a portal quarterback is underway at Purdue. At least that’s the sense new Boilermaker coach Ryan Walters gave during an interview on the Kevin & Query radio show on The Fan in Indianapolis on Thursday.

Walters discussed an array of topics during the 15-minute interview. And one subject of note was new offensive coordinator Graham Harrell, who along with defensive coordinator Kevin Kane are the two Walters’ staff hires Purdue has announced.

“It was important for me to hire a guy like Graham Harrell that would attract quarterbacks, would attract offensive skill players,” said Walters.

The new Purdue boss arrived from an uber-successful gig as defensive coordinator at Illinois the last two years. That background may cause some to wonder what direction the offense will go at Purdue, where a reputation as the “Cradle of Quarterbacks” has been forged.

But Walters has been quick to quell those fears. And the arrival of Harrell is further proof that passing the football still will be highly valued by the new regime.

“In the past, defensive coaches have wanted to play the game a certain way,” said Walters. “But I think about the game from a quarterback’s perspective. I understand that that’s the most important position in sports, period.

“So, our defense is trying to affect them. And, offensively, we’re trying to let him thrive. So, it was important for me to hire a guy like Graham Harrell that would attract quarterbacks, would attract offensive skill players.”

Walters, who played quarterback in high school before moving to safety in college at Colorado, has no interest in winning game 9-6.

“It’s not fun, right?” fessed Walters.

The arrival of the 37-year-old Harrell, who played quarterback for the late Mike Leach at Texas Tech and later coached for him at Washington State, already is stirring interest among prospects.

“I think hiring Graham has been awesome and we have had a lot of interest from some high-profile quarterbacks and hopefully we’ll get one here soon.”

Harrell arrives in West Lafayette after serving as OC at West Virginia in 2022. Before that, he was offensive coordinator at USC from 2019-21, where he worked with quarterback Kedon Slovis—who just happens to be in the portal after he played in 2022 at Pitt.

“I played against him (Harrell),” said Walters. “We have friends in the same circles, but we just never have crossed paths. I’ve known about Graham. I’ve admired his sort of early rise to success. We think alike, we think about the game alike. He’s a great dude. I can’t wait to work with him.”

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