Purdue AD Mike Bobinski on Ryan Walters: 'Upside is just spectacular'

Forgive Purdue A.D. Mike Bobinski if he has forgotten what day it is. He’s been a busy man of late, trying to find the next leader of the Purdue football program.

The good news: Bobinski is clear-eyed now. And he has his head coach: Rising star Illinois defensive coordinator Ryan Walters, who was introduced on Wednesday.

“I think over the course of our six days, however long it was, I’ve lost track of days or times here, that we evaluated and vetted more than a dozen people, either exploring interest or, in fact, talking specifically to,” said Bobinski.

A surprise hire? Maybe not. Bobinski said the week leading into the announcement that he had no template for the coach who would replace Jeff Brohm. Proven head coach? Offensive mind? Young? Old? It didn’t matter.

“At the end of the day, if we can land in a similar place (and hire an offensive-minded coach like Brohm), that’s great,” said Bobinski on December 8. “But, more importantly, is a football coach that’s going to find a way for us to win or whatever that might take.”

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In Bobinski’s eyes, Walters is the man who has “whatever that might take” to keep pushing the Boilermaker program upward as it comes off a nine-win season in 2021 and Big Ten West title in 2022. A small, committed group of people worked on this search, keeping a tight lid on the goings-on.

It’s believed Purdue had some level of discussion with several candidates: Kansas State’s Chris Klieman, Wake Forest’s Dave Clawson, Duke’s Mike Elko, Western Kentucky’s Tyson Helton, Washington assistant JaMarcus Shephard and former Purdue linebacker Kevin Sumlin, among them.

Bobinski’s man was the 36-year-old Walters, whom Illinois A.D. Josh Whitman calls a “defensive savant.”

“One of the things with Ryan, you’ll see this as time goes by, if he, in fact, does call (the defense) here for a while,” said Bobinski. “He doesn’t have a sheet in front of him. He does it with intuition, feel, preparation. That is not your average coach.”

Now, the work begins for the fourth youngest FBS coach in America.

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Walters has been a man in motion since the Wednesday press conference. He’s been on the road trying to secure the commitments of players in Purdue’s 2023 class. Signing Day is December 21.

Walters also must keep the current roster together. So far, so good. The portal opened for 45 days on December 5, closing on January 18. (The portal has a second window, opening between May 1-15.) So far, only two players who contributed in 2022 have jumped in: running back Kobe Lewis and guard Spencer Holstege. The loss of Holstege is the lone critical one. No doubt, the players have liked what they have heard from Walters, who addressed them on Tuesday.

Awarding a scholarship on the spot to Devin Mockobee was a popular move that resonated not just in the locker room … but across the Purdue landscape.

In addition to securing Purdue’s 2023 commitments, keeping his roster intact and working the portal, Walters also has to build a staff. It’s thought he wants to tab his coordinators first, which makes sense. Walters, who has a five-year contract, is believed to have between $5.5-6 million in his salary pool.

“We have provided a pool for Coach Walters that he will be able to allocate it however he wishes and it’s really competitive,” said Bobinski. “I think he’s really pleased with what he’s got to work with.”

News broke on Thursday night that West Virginia offensive coordinator Graham Harrell was coming on board in the same role as Walters’ first hire. Harrell is a disciple of the late Mike Leach, who was famous for his “Air Raid” attacks.

Next up: Defensive coordinator. It will be interesting to see how the staff looks for a rookie head coach who will be squaring off vs. the likes of Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz, Minnesota’s P.J. Fleck, Nebraska’s Matt Rhule, Wisconsin’s Luke Fickell, Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh and Ohio State’s Ryan Day in 2023.

“I think we have hired the person with the absolute highest ceiling of anybody we talked to,” said Bobinski. “I don’t think there’s a limit to what we can accomplish and what Coach Ryan Walters will accomplish here at Purdue. That’s the most exciting thing to me is just the upside is just spectacular. I can’t wait to see it start to unfold.”