Former Illini Ryan Walters hired as Defensive Coordinator at Big Ten Foe

Former Illini defensive coordinator and Purdue head coach, Ryan Walters, has officially taken the defensive coordinator job at the University of Washington. Walters was the defensive coordinator for the Illini for two seasons before ultimately taking over for Jeff Brohm at Purdue. His defense was historically good for the University of Illinois which led him to earn a reputation as one of the top young rising coaches in college football. He was expected to succeed at Purdue which was on the rise under Jeff Brohm.

However, Walters’ time at Purdue went terribly. He went 5-19 in West Lafayette, including losing 11 straight games this season. Not only did Walters lose games, his Boilermakers were not even competitive. Walters was ultimately fired from the Boilermakers job on December 1st. However, the former Illini defensive coordinator landed on his feet at a Big Ten foe.

Husky Nation let’s give a warm welcome to @Coach_Walters 👏👏.

➡️ https://t.co/tCjnj9yfw8 pic.twitter.com/cWElTFPrOt

— Washington Football (@UW_Football) January 3, 2025

Another showdown between Bielema and Walters

In the 2025 season, Illinois will head to Seattle on October 25th to take on the Washington Huskies. This means that Bret Bielema and Ryan Walters will meet once again. There were certainly some hints of bad blood between the two after Walters departed to Purdue. First off, Walters supposedly picked up transfer QB Hudson Card on his official visit to Illinois to take him over to Purdue. This year, Walters and his team notably ran onto the field during the Marching Illini’s performance of the Alma Mater.

Ryan Walters will certainly have some tricks up his sleeve for Luke Altmyer and company when they arrive in Seattle this fall.

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