Ryan Walters spent his entire career preparing to be a head coach. When he accepted the Purdue job last season, he thought he was ready for just about anything.
Turns out, the 39-year-old still had some on-the-job training to complete.
He learned how to best manage his time, how to best serve his team and how to best execute the job. And now, in his second season in West Lafayette, Indiana, Walters intends to turn those tough lessons into big rewards.
“Obviously my expertise is on the defensive side of the ball. As a head coach, you wear a lot of hats,” he said. “Going through last season, knowing how much I can dive into the X’s and O’s and how much I need to be head coach, that balance is something I’ve learned.”
He also recognizes it will take more than experience, confidence and high expectations to win in an expanded 18-team league that features four top-10 teams - especially after gong 4-8 in a mistake-prone first season.
Fans certainly expect to see corrections, given the brisk season-ticket sales. Despite bringing in 37 new players, nearly half through the transfer portal, and having quarterback Hudson Card back for his second season as the starter, the Boilermakers are widely expected to finish last in the league.
That has given Walters insight into one more facet about his team. They’re motivated to turn things around and prove the doubters wrong in their new uniforms.
“Everyone in the building has a chip on their shoulder that grows by the day,” he said. “And because of that, I can’t wait for this fall.”
Card knows a rebound season will fall largely on his shoulders. Walters made recruiting the former Texas prep star out of the portal his first priority, but Card responded with a mediocre season. He completed 58.9% of his throws with 2,387 yards, 15 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
“One thing I’ve been working on is my feet,” Card said. “Just having a little bit better, more clam feet in the pocket and just going back. Then going back and watching tape, typically when my feet are good, good things happen.”
Purdue’s spread offense was the aberration in a Big Ten West Division that featured run-oriented offenses. With division play ending and four pass-happy schools joining the league from the high-scoring Pac-12, Purdue center Nick Hartwig thinks avoiding some of the power-running teams could help the Boilermakers.
“I think that will kind of propel us a little bit, kind of give us a little bit of an edge because we’ve kind of played against it (the spread offense) a little bit,” Hartwig said. “Like our offense compared to Oregon, it’s a little similar to Washington, I think it helps us.”
One reason the Boilermakers are picked last in the Big Ten is their daunting schedule.
After opening against FCS foe Indiana State on Aug. 31 and getting the first of two byes, they host No. 7 Notre Dame. That’s the first of four top-10 games - home against No. 3 Oregon on Oct. 18 and No. 8 Penn State on Nov. 16 with a trip to No. 2 Ohio State on Nov. 9.
Purdue also visits Oregon State, Wisconsin and rival Indiana. It won’t be easy to navigate.
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