4/18/2023 football Edit

Coach Walters Joined Kevin & Query to Talk Boilermaker Football

Purdue Boilermakers head coach Ryan Walters gives a high five during football practice, Thursday, April 13, 2023, at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. (© Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK)

Kyle Holderfield • BoilerUpload

Site Analyst

Yesterday morning, Coach Walters joined Kevin & Query to talk Boilermaker Football. In particular, he hit home on the nuances of the roster, the spring football game, being competitive in Name, Image & Likeness, and lastly, the facilities at Purdue.

As you all know, there will be no Spring Game open to the public this year. Partly due to the ongoing construction at Ross-Ade Stadium, partly due to Coach Walters just wanting another practice for evaluation in the spring, and partly due to injuries.

But, his 15 minutes on the Kevin and Query show was definitely worth a listen. I highly suggest listening to Purdue's new football coach if you get the chance.

Coach Walters on Facilities & NIL

I would agree with that. So, to be honest with you, I had no idea that was the case before I got here. Coming down Cherry Lane and seeing … we have two 100-yard practice fields, one grass, one turf. We got a full 100-yard-plus indoor facility that’s got the actual field dimensions so you can have a scrimmage in there. I’ve never been anywhere that was the case. They’re building this tunnel that goes from our facility to the stadium and it’s got stadium renovations (south end zone, dining/nutrition center). So, I’ll always tease alumni, I’m like, listen, we don’t need facilities anymore. You just got to give to the alliance (Boilermaker Alliance) so we can go get guys. The facilities here are top notch and I couldn’t be more happy.

— Coach Ryan Walters - Kevin & Query Show

It is hard to disagree with that sentiment. Ross-Ade Stadium renovations are well underway, with the hopes to be ready for the home opener in the fall.

Where Purdue has lacked, noticeably, is in the NIL Arms Race of College Athletics. The most known loss in that Arms Race is Coach Painter losing out to the now Miami (FL) guard and Indianapolis native, Nijel Pack.

For football, with the new staff, they are selling the Purdue brand hard and their personalities, as well as anyone in the nation, but, in the end, a lot of these top-end players, are now worried about their bottom line, which is dollar bills.

NCAA now lives in an age where the top transfer portal targets are charging to even get them on campus. For better or for worse, this is the new landscape for college sports and the Boilermaker Alliance is trying to embrace it, run with it, and pay these athletes for their Name, Image, and Likeness.

If you have yet to visit the Boilermaker Alliance website, take a gander.

Coach Walters on where the roster stands

We gotta finish this last week of spring ball and then those guys in the locker room will head out to finals and get a little break to go home. While they’re doing that, we’ll be out on the road recruiting for the spring session and evaluation session. We’ll probably add anywhere from seven to nine transfer guys before the summer starts. Then we’ll get eight weeks to work with (strength) Coach Ro (Kiero Small) in the summertime. And then into fall camp and then you’re on cracking for the season.

— Coach Ryan Walters - Kevin & Query Show

After the addition of Marquis Wilson this morning, a Defensive Back transfer from Penn State, and Shon Stephens (as long as his waiver goes through), I currently have Purdue at four over the scholarship total.

Then, Coach Walters, yesterday drops the bomb of anticipating seven to nine more transfers before the summer comes. Purdue already has seven transfers on the roster, if he were to add nine more, he would have sixteen transfers on his first roster at Purdue, around 19% of the roster.

If you include the 16 additional incoming freshmen, that is 32 new faces, potentially, good for 38% of the 85 scholarship roster, which is just an astounding number.

Coach Walters on the Spring Game

I’m looking out my window right now. There’s no way we can get in the stadium with the construction that has been going on. And, to be honest, where we are with our roster, who’s available and kind of the work we need, I felt like it would be more beneficial to just have another practice in terms of getting us better for fall

— Coach Ryan Walters - Kevin & Query Show

I know there are plenty of disappointed fans that there is not an open Spring Game, as it has become a yearly tradition.

But, with the roster injuries, turnover, and new staff implementing their new schemes and ideas, maybe the team is just not ready to put out there for the fan base... quite yet.

Top that with Ross-Ade Stadium being nowhere close to being finished and the venues being limited to choose from, it does make sense to use it as another evaluation practice for the staff.

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