DC Nick Holt won't return to Purdue
Purdue announced today defensive coordinator Nick Holt will not return for the 2020 season. Holt, 57, just completed his third year with the Boilermakers. He came to West Lafayette with Jeff Brohm in 2017.
“I appreciate the years I’ve spent with Nick both here at Purdue and Western Kentucky,” Brohm said in a statement. “He is a very good football coach, and I wish him and his family the best moving forward.”
As recently as last week, Holt was on the road recruiting, hitting the junior college ranks in Mississippi, among other stops. In addition to running the defense, Holt also coached linebackers. And that's a position that needs to improve. Key personnel back: Cornel Jones, Jaylan Alexander and Khali Saunders.
The Boilermaker defense struggled this season under Holt, ranking 12th in the Big Ten in rushing defense (192.5 ypg), 13th in passing defense (243.8 ypg), 13th in total defense (436.3 ypg) and 12th in scoring defense (30.6 ppg).
The season got off to a rocky start, as Brohm had Holt work from the press box--instead of his usual spot on the sideline--for the season opener at Nevada. In that game, the defense melted down in the second half, as the Boilermakers blew a 31-14 lead in the third quarter en route to a 34-31 loss.
What direction will Purdue turn to fill the void? Stay tuned. This is a big hire for Brohm, who will be entering his fourth season in West Lafayette in 2020 looking to turn a corner coming off a disappointing 4-8 season that ended a two-year bowl run. Knowing the importance of the upcoming season, Brohm probably would prefer to hire an experienced coordinator. Handing the reins to an up-and-comer may be too risky.
One possibility: Safeties coach Anthony Poindexter, who has served as co-defensive coordinator with Holt the last three seasons.
Derrick Jackson is another possibility. He was Purdue's cornerbacks coach and defensive recruiting coordinator in 2017 and 2018 before leaving to be the defensive coordinator at Northern Illinois. He is well-regarded.
Brohm hasn't been afraid to hire people he hasn't worked with. Knowing that, a name to keep on your radar is Jim Leavitt. He is a sage coach with years of experience. He had a highly successful run as head coach at South Florida (1997-2009) and most recently was an analyst at Florida State. Leavitt, 63, has coordinated defenses at places like Colorado, Oregon and Kansas State.
Another name: Ron English. He was DC at Louisville in 2008 when Brohm was an assistant there. English, 51, is safeties coach at Florida. He has coordinated defenses at Michigan and San Jose State. He was head coach at Eastern Michigan (2009-13).
Vic Koenning could be a target. He was DC at Illinois under Ron Zook when Brohm was an assistant in Champaign in 2010-11. Koenning, 59, was defensive coordinator at West Virginia last year. He also has been DC at Troy, Kansas State and Clemson.
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