It was announced on Tuesday, December 13th that Illinois Defensive Coordinator Ryan Walters would be departing from the program, and heading to West Lafayette, IN to serve as Head Coach at Purdue University. Walters served as DC in Champaign for two seasons, and led the Illini to a top 3 defense in the nation over the 2022 season. Walters is in the nomination for many awards for his excellence in coaching during 2022, including being named a finalist for the Broyles award, making Ryan one of the top prospects in the coaching carousel.
Though you never want to see your team lose a coach to a rival, this is a massive step forward for Ryan Walters. kudos to Bret Bielema, Josh Whitman, and the Illinois program as well for what they have done in developing staff. Just a short couple of years ago, not many coaches on your staff were up for head, coaching, candidacy, which is a good sign that the program is on the right track. This program has come a very long way since Walters defense was thrashed in Charlottesville, VA vs the Cavilers in 2021, and the rebound since then has been a big part in Walters success story.
Illinois head coach Bret Bielema had this to say about the departing of his Defensive Coordinator. “Congratulations to Coach Walters on taking the Head Coaching job at Purdue. Ryan is a talented coach with a bright future. We thank him, and his family for everything they did for our program.” Says Bielema. Luckily for Illinois fans he also states “This is something that I had seen coming for awhile now. We have have a plan in place that we will unveil in the coming weeks that will position Illinois Football for for sustained success in 2023 and for years to come.”
What’s next?
With departure, of course, always means additions will have to be made. With a great Defensive minded coach, such as Bret Bielema in the drivers seat, and an athletic director who is willing to do what it takes to “get the guys”, I would be pretty confident in the decision made to fill the position. Especially with the current track record of staff development the program currently has. The question is…..
internal or external?
Who is Bielema connected to? Someone who understands what is trying to be accomplished by Bielema’s defensive ideology.
Proven Success?
To me, I believe there’s a short list, and here is some of the candidates you may want to keep your eyes on.
The short List
Kevin Kane- Current Outside Illini Linebackers Coach
Why? Kane makes as much sense as anybody to takeover as Illini Defensive Coordinator. The current Outside Linebacker coach joined the Illini staff as Linebackers coach and Associate Head Coach in 2021 as an original member of Bielema’s Staff. Kane was Defensive Coordinator and Linebackers Coach for SMU in Dallas from 2018 to 2021, leading them to the #1 ranking in the nation for sacks, and an AP Top 25 ranking in 2019.
Andy Buh- Current Illini Inside Linebackers Coach
Buh has had a couple of stents as a Big Ten DC at both Maryland and Rutgers after he and Bielema’s time together winning championships at Wisconsin in 2012. Andy served as DC for Maryland from 2016-18 so he does have experience coordinating in the Big Ten. This is something that some of the other candidates will lack, and a big reason he is on the short list.
Jim Leonard- Former Wisconsin DC
Leonard is a long time Big Ten juggernaut who served as DC in Madison from 2016-2022. Leonard originally joined the Wisconsin staff for Paul Chryst in 2016, after an NFL career that started after having played safety for Bret Bielema in 2004 at Wisconsin. Leonard received the Broyles award for best coordinator in college football in his first year as Wisconsin DC in 2017, and has found himself in the running many times since. He is a great candidate for Illinois, that has seen a lot of success in the Big Ten.
Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Comments