Purdue's Ryan Walters has confidence, trust in new OC Jason Simmons

It was Sunday, the aftermath of Purdue’s third consecutive loss–a 28-10 defeat to Nebraska–still stung. That’s when Ryan Walters made the decision to part ways with offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Graham Harrell.

“Obviously, I’ve been evaluating the season,” said Walters. “I never want to make decisions directly after a game. You tend to be emotional after a contest. And so, on Sunday after processing and evaluating, watching the film, and just looking at what the program looks like moving forward, decided to make that decision Sunday afternoon.”

Walters says no one forced him to move on from Harrell.

“It was my decision,” said Walters, whose offense has scored an aggregate 38 points the last three games.

So, Harrell is out after less than two seasons. The man entrusted with resuscitating a listless Purdue offense with the season seemingly hanging in the balance: Jason Simmons.

Who?

Simmons, 48, was hired prior to the 2024 season as an offensive analyst. He arrived from Miami (Ohio)–his alma mater where he played d-line and graduated in 1999–where he was running backs coach.

Prior to that, Simmons forged his reputation as a high school coach in the Indianapolis area. He was head coach at Ben Davis (2018-22) and at Noblesville (2016-17), while also serving as an assistant at Ben Davis, Noblesville and Hamilton Heights. A father of four, Simmons has a son, Brady, who is a receiver at Indiana.

Radical changes aren’t expected with Simmons now pushing the buttons. But, one thing is non-negotiable: Walters yearns for “complementary” football … move the chains, stay on the field, score points.

“Obviously, you can’t make wholesale change in the middle of the season,” said Walters. “Guys know the vocabulary, and there are a lot of things that we do conceptually that give us a chance. Didn’t want to wholesale change. I feel like there are things that we could add to help and concepts that we already have that need.”

Walters said he isn’t ready to commit to Simmons beyond 2024.

“I will get there when we get there,” said Walters, who noted several out-of-work big name, big resumé coaches reached out. “Right now, we are focused on trying to put the best plan, offense, defense, special teams in a ballgame … “

What is it about Simmons–a well-liked and respected coach–that appealed to Walters?

“I think the thing I have been most impressed with Jason just in the time he’s been here is his presence, his confidence,” said Walters, who will have analyst Stanton Keane lead the quarterback room with Harrell gone.

“He’s sort of got like a calm confidence to him, and his ability to relate to and hold 18- to 22-year-olds accountable, our team respects him. Had conversations with some of the guys on offense and let them know what direction I was going in in terms of the play-calling, and all were excited that it was him.”

It’s hoped Simmons–who will continue to work from the press box–can spark a moribund Purdue offense that has struggled in several areas–mainly passing the ball, third-down success and explosive pass plays.

“You want to be able to sustain drives and put points on the board,” said Walters. “I think Hudson Card is a talented quarterback and he hasn’t looked like himself. We are not as explosive as I think we can be. I think we are doing a good job running the football but it’s been hard to find easy throws and getting people in advantageous situations depending on coverage and the shell defensively that’s being presented pre-snap. And we haven’t played complementary football. That’s why I made the decision we made.”

MORE: First and 10 | Three thoughts from weekend | First Look | Graham Harrell let go

The time is now for the Purdue, which takes a 1-3 (0-1 Big Ten) mark to Wisconsin this Saturday for a noon ET kickoff. It’s the start of a daunting October that also will see the Boilermakers play at Illinois and vs. Oregon.

“You know, there’s a lot of successful OCs in the college ranks right now that started as high school OCs,” said Walters. “I think the fact that he has not only led a side of the ball but led an entire team, it was definitely attractive to me in terms of what our team needs right now.

“I’ve got a lot of confidence in him. I’ve got a lot of trust in him, and I think he’s going to do a great job.”

The Harrell experiment rooted on Air Raid principles never took full-flight. How did the former Texas Tech star and NFL signal-caller take the news amid growing unrest among the fan base?

“He reacted with grace and appreciation,” said Walters. “Obviously, he’s disappointed. You know, I told him, I love him to death. I love his family to death. I’m sorry it didn’t work out, and that nobody envisioned this happening and transpiring the way it did.”