DeAndre Smith will coach Purdue’s running backs, the school announced Tuesday.
“DeAndre’s track record speaks for itself,” Coach Darrell Hazell said in a statement. “He has a special ability to develop the best rushers in the country. I look forward to him taking our stable of running backs to another level.”
Smith was announced as Arkansas State’s running backs coach only two weeks ago, according the Arkansas State website. Before that, Smith spent three seasons at Syracuse before its staff was fired on Nov. 23. He coached with recent QB coach hire Tim Lester there.
In 2015, Syracuse gained nearly 2,000 yards on the ground and averaged 4.4 yards per carry. The Orange was led by a freshman running back.
At Purdue, Smith inherits a young stable of backs, including leading returner rusher Markell Jones, who led the team in rushing as a true freshman last season.
Smith also has coached running backs at New Mexico, Illinois, UNLV, Miami (Ohio) and Northern Illinois. With the Huskies in the early 2000s, Smith guided NFL players Michael Turner and Garrett Wolfe.
Hazell still has one coaching opening left to fill — offensive line, after Jim Bridge left for Duke this month.
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