New Purdue coach Ryan Walters and Drew Brees at Disneyland? It happened
New Purdue coach Ryan Walters was nattily attired in a charcoal suit for his big day on Wednesday, when he was introduced to fans and the media.
He’s young … 36. Heck, Walters looks like he still could play. The former Illinois defensive coordinator offered plenty of insights into his vision for the Purdue program. But, Walters also offered some snippets into his personal life …
• Walters has known his wife, Tara, since his junior year in high school in Colorado. They have two young sons, Aaron and Cason.
“I’ve been tricking her every day for a long time,” jested Walters.
• Walters’ parents, Marc and Nicole Walters, grew up in Los Angeles and had Ryan when they were 16 and still in high school. Walters’ dad was a high school quarterback who played at Colorado.
“So, I grew up in the locker room,” he said. “Football, it’s in me. I grew up with a football attached to my hand and it just so happened that I was already bleeding black and gold (Colorado colors).
“As all young kids do, when they are introduced to this game, everybody wants to be a quarterback, right. So, that’s exactly what I wanted to do. My dad was a quarterback. I grew up watching quarterbacks. And I could still spin it a little bit.”
Marc Walters played from 1986-89 for Bill McCartney at Colorado, hitting 57 percent of his passes for 422 yards with four TDs and an interception and running for 226 yards and two scores.
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• Walters had a pseudo run-in with Drew Brees at Disneyland when the Boilermakers were in the Rose Bowl following the 2000 season.
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“I’m a sophomore in high school, the starting varsity quarterback starting to get recruited on a national scale. And that was my first introduction to this university. Drew Brees was the quarterback here. He was accurate. He got the ball out on time. Scored a lot of touchdowns.
“And winter vacations, right, during Christmas break my family will go back to Los Angeles and spend time with our family there. And I remember going to Disneyland and seeing Drew Brees in a parade in 2001 for the Rose Bowl, and I thought to myself, that’s what I want do; that’s what I want to be. I want to be a quarterback one day at a high-profile university. I want to go to the NFL and play quarterback. I wants to be a quarterback of a Super Bowl-winning team.”
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• There is no lack of confidence, which is a good thing. When asked if he was going to call the defense or hand over those duties to a coordinator, Walters flat-out said he’s the best at what he does in America. He was recently named the on3 National Coordinator of the Year for his work at Illinois in 2022 (No. 1 scoring defense; No. 2 total defense).
“I’m going to have a defensive coordinator, but I do believe that what I do is unique,” he said. “I’m not shy in saying I think I’m the best defensive coordinator in the country right now. I think the numbers speak for themselves.
“And so, you know, I would not relinquish those duties unless I felt comfortable. So, the defensive side of the ball has to be taken care of. If that’s with me, then that needs to be with me but if I feel comfortable with the staff that we bring in and their abilities to do it as a high level as I could, or better, then I’ll do what’s best for the program.”
Confidence is needed … and Walters has it.
