Could Purdue be making a coaching change?
The Purdue football team has reached the end of a dismal season that ranks among the worst in the program’s history. After winning their season opener against Indiana State, Purdue went on to lose 11 straight games.
Many of those losses were not even close. Notre Dame visited West Lafayette and won 66-7, while Wisconsin dominated with a 52-6 victory. Oregon shut out Purdue 35-0, and the team faced humiliating defeats of 45-0 against Ohio State and 49-10 against Penn State. The season concluded on Saturday with what turned out to be their worst loss: a 66-0 rout by rival Indiana.
As a result of such a disappointing season, discussions about who should remain with the program for next year have begun, focusing particularly on head coach Ryan Walters, who is in his second season. Walters led Purdue to four wins in 2023 but saw the team regress to become the worst in the Power Four this season.
After the game, Walters was questioned about his future as Purdue’s head coach, but he did not provide a clear answer, according to Tom Dienhart of On3 Sports.
When asked if Purdue athletic director Mike Bobinski had assured him a return in 2025, Walters responded, “I’m not the person to ask that question,” according to Bobinski. He later expressed, “I hope so,” when questioned about his status as head coach in West Lafayette for the next season.
Should Walters return in 2025, he will face a significant challenge in reviving a program that has struggled this season. Purdue finished with a final point differential of -290, including a -263 record in nine conference games, which they lost by an average margin of nearly 30 points. This disappointing statistic will likely impact recruiting efforts, making it difficult to retain current players and attract new talent to address the team’s needs.
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