Mike Bobinski on Purdue's football situation

Wednesday, new Purdue athletic director Mike Bobinski commented on the state of the football program in a video interview the athletic department posted on its web site and social media platforms.

Purdue's 2-2 this season, bringing Darrell Hazell's record to 8-32, with the Boilermakers' coming off a 50-7 loss at Maryland that stands as one e of the worst they've absorbed since Hazell's hiring

Below is a verbatim transcript of what Bobinski had to say in the athletic department-produced video, which includes no direct mentions of Hazell nor any indication of the timeframe Bobinski might be working with in the evaluation process he promised upon his hiring.

Embed content not availableManage privacy settings

"I'd tell (fans) that like other programs, I have tremendous confidence that we have the capability of being at a championship level in football. We have the makings. We have the infrastructure here. Obviously our performance in recent years has not reflected that and this year, it's been mixed to this point. You can't argue that, I've been there, seen it and lived it myself.

"I appreciate the frustration, appreciate the desire for us to achieve at a higher level. All I can say at this point is I'm committed to that, we're committed to that, Purdue — the broader institution from President (Mitch) Daniels, the Board of Trustees, all the way down to me and the folks that are actually going to make this happen - are fully committed to Purdue being successful in football. We will find a way to get that done and I have tremendous confidence in that. Nothing that I have seen to this point tells me otherwise.

"We can do that, we will do that. It's never overnight. Football's like steering a battleship. You don't turn it on a dime. But it's a solvable problem, or issue. I feel very strongly about that. We just have to stay with it and find the key levers to pull and buttons to push and we'll get it there.

"Like all of our programs, we should be competing for Big Ten championships, looking to play at a national level, New Year's Bowls, College Football (Playoffs), we shouldn't shoot for anything less than that. We have too much going for us here at Purdue. We're in the Big Ten, arguably the finest conference in the country and we're in that conference for a reason. We've been in it for a long time and have a great history and tradition. We need to set our sights high. I believe that's the only way to get to great things: By expecting great things to happen and consciously setting your goals at a very high level. I've heard people say recently, 'If people don't snicker or roll their eyes a little bit when you set your objectives, then you probably haven't set them high enough.' I believe in setting your goals high and working like crazy to get there. At the very least, you're going to land in a much better place than where you sit today. I think championships are what we should be about."

Membership Information: Sign up for GoldandBlack.com now | Why join? | Questions?