Purdue is in the market for someone to call its defense.
GoldandBlack.com has confirmed a report by Pete Thamel of Yahoo that Purdue co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Brad Lambert is leaving after one season to coordinate the defense at Wake Forest. Lambert was an assistant at Wake from 2001-10 under Jim Grobe, coordinating the defense from 2008-10.
There was thought Purdue cornerbacks coach James Adams would join Lambert in Winston-Salem working for Dave Clawson, who led the program to the ACC title game in 2021. But that isn't a done deal but could happen, according to a source. Adams played linebacker at Wake Forest when Lambert was a Demon Deacons assistant and also was an assistant at Charlotte when Lambert was head coach of the 49ers (2011-18).
Lambert's move means the Boilermakers will have a fourth different defensive play-caller in four years, as Nick Holt ran the unit from 2017-2019 and Bob Diaco in 2020.
Purdue is expected to take its time finding a replacement for Lambert.
The 56-year-old Lambert was part of a Purdue defensive staff overhaul last offseason that saw Mark Hagen (co-DC/line), Ron English (co-DC/secondary) and Adams all come aboard with Lambert prior to the 2021 season.
Purdue's average went from 29.8 points per game in 2020 to 22.4 in 2021 and the total defense from 399 yards per game to 365.2. The defense played a big role in the Boilermakers finishing 9-4 overall (6-3 Big Ten), the program's first nine-win season since 2003.
Lambert joined Purdue after serving as defensive coordinator at Marshall from 2019-20. In addition to being the first-ever head coach at Charlotte and a Wake Forest assistant, Lambert was a long-time assistant at Georgia (1996-2000) under Jim Donnan.
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