Five big takeaways from new Purdue coach Ryan Walters' opening press conference

Rosevelt Colvin was there. So was Mark Herrmann. Calvin Williams was in the room, and Kelly Kitchel managed to squeeze in, too.

The former Purdue football players were among the throng gathered in the defensive meeting room inside the Kozuch Football Performance Complex on Wednesday to hear what new Boilermaker coach Ryan Walters had to say on his first official day on the job.

What’s his vision?

What will the offense look like?

Can he keep the roster together?

Questions, questions, questions.

Answers will come later. For now, here are five big takeaways after the new Boilermaker boss had his introductory press conference.

1. Walters is well aware of Purdue’s famed “Cradle of Quarterbacks” tradition

Yes, Walters comes from the defensive side of the ball. But the new coach grew up playing quarterback, dreaming of being the signal-caller of a big-time program. So, he appreciates the position … and offense.

“I’m not into stats,” he said. “I want to win games. Obviously, I have a quarterback background. I want our quarterbacks to have success here and we are going to be high-powered and high-flying offense.”

But, Walters is most focused on having an offense that makes defenses uncomfortable. And, as a defensive coach, he should have a good idea.

“We are going to be balanced in the sense of, if it requires us to run a ball to win a game, we are going to run it. If it requires us to pass it to win a game, we are going to pass it,” said Walters.

“We will be strategically aggressive. I want our offense to do the things that I hate seeing on Saturdays as a defensive coordinator. I think there’s a misnomer out there that defensive head football coach, all of a sudden they want to condense down the game and get good stats.”

2. Walters is confident Purdue has the proper NIL/collective infrastructure to succeed

“Absolutely,” he said. “That was one of the things that’s very attractive to me about this opportunity. Our administration, (AD) Mike (Bobinski) here, has done a great job with the collective and we’ll be in the upper echelon of the Big Ten.”

The Boilermaker Alliance is Purdue’s collective. And, from all accounts, it’s doing well from a funding standpoint. No doubt, the organization is well-run by Jeff McKean, a 1986 Purdue grad, successful Indianapolis area lawyer and Boilermaker fan.”

The university also has it own NIL mechanism in the Boilermaker Marketplace.

In this new world order of college athletics, schools need a robust and astute NIL/collective if they hope to compete at a high level. And, Walters likes what Purdue has.

3. Walters is working hard to keep the roster together

So far, Purdue has seen only two players of note hit the portal since the end of the season: G Spencer Holstege and RB Kobe Lewis. Holstege was a big loss … a surprise, too.

“That’s what we are working through right now,” said Walters. “My job right now is to get to know these guys. You know, start building trust and respect with the players in the locker room, and then, you know, from there, identifying what our needs are from a personnel standpoint, what your numbers are and what holes we need to fill and whether that’s with a high school recruit or transfer portal, that will be it.”

Walters is well aware of the angst of the unknown among the current roster. What’s the new staff going to look like? What will be my role? Am I wanted? How will the offense look? The defense? The questions spill out of the mouth.

“But, again, that’s all stuff that we are working through right now,” he said. “I’ve been on the job for 48 hours.”

4. Walters is dialing up the recruits

The hope: To hold together Purdue’s 2023 class with Signing Day looming on Dec. 21. So far, Purdue has seen five players de-commit. Will more follow?

“It was good to get on the phone with all of them, letting them know that they fell in love with this place for a reason,” said Walters. “And I know things have changed like the status quo was not the status quo, right, but I’m excited to be their head coach and I’m looking forward to getting to know them and getting on the recruiting trail.”

Walters is a one-man recruiting show for now, only getting assistance from the Purdue recruiting staff. It’s a lot on the plate for one person. But, the 36-year-old Walters appears to have boundless energy.

“Obviously, this is a world-class institution,” said Walters. “From an academic standpoint, this is the best conference in college football. You can achieve everything that you want to from an on-the-field and off-the-field standpoint right here at Purdue. That aspect of the commitment has not changed. The only thing that’s changed is the guys in the building will be a little bit different.

“So, it’s my job for them to get to know me and for me to get them to believe in the direction and the principles that we are preaching.”

5. Walters is working on assembling a staff ASAP
First, know this: Walters will have no involvement in bowl practices or the bowl game from a coaching standpoint. He has enough on his to-do list from a recruiting and roster retention perspective.

And, then there’s the matter of building a staff, perhaps the most important thing on Walters’ agenda. How soon before it comes together?

“That’s a good question,” he said. “You know, there are a couple guys that we are targeting pretty quickly that I’ve had on my radar for a long time. But, at the same time, like we are going to go through the process and vet the process to make sure that we are getting the right guys in the building.

“You get one shot at this deal. I want to have as much success as we can have as a program. In order to do that, we have to get the right guys in the building.”

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