Ahead of his return to West Lafayette, Washington Huskies defensive coordinator Ryan Walters will experience a homecoming in more ways than one. The former Purdue head coach in 2023 and 2024rwas relieved of his duties after a couple of disappointing seasons, and while most may assume he holds a bit of animosity towards his former employer, he actually has a deep connection with his successor.
Following his departure, Walters was replaced by former UNLV head coach Barry Odom, who made a pair of Mountain West Conference Championship appearances in his two-year stint with the Rebels. As it turns out, Odom, who also brings a defensive background to his coaching resume, played a key role in the career of Washington's second-year defensive play caller.
"I worked with him at the University of Memphis when I was young in my career," Walters told the media on Tuesday. "Then, when he got the job as the defensive coordinator at Missouri, brought me with him as the safeties coach. Then when he got the head job (at Missouri), I ended up being his coordinator. That was my first time being a defensive coordinator. Got a lot of respect for him and learned a lot from him; he gave me my first opportunity and allowed me to coordinate the defense, sort of mid-season, as my first time. There were obviously some growing pains, and he allowed me to sort of learn on the fly, make mistakes, and learn and improve. I can say I wouldn't be here today without his tutelage and the opportunities he provided.
One year after Odom was let go by Missouri in 2019, Walters was hired as Illinois' defensive coordinator, where he helped generate one of the best defenses in the nation in 2021 and 2022. In his two years in Champaign, the Fighting Illini ranked No. 29 and No. 1 in total defense, respectively. After becoming one of the most highly touted assistants in the nation, Walters took the head coaching job at Purdue.
Coming off of their worst performance of the season, the Washington defense is looking to help their aggressive-minded coach pick up a road victory against his former team. The Huskies will have their hands full, though, as the Boilermakers' offense is averaging just over 34 points per game in Big Ten play after last week's 41-13 victory over Minnesota.
While the soft-spoken coordinator wasn't shy to pay his respects to the man who played an instrumental role in finding his footing in college football, all those warm and fuzzy feelings will be put on hold on Friday night as the Huskies look to avoid their fourth-straight loss in conference play.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Ryan Walters Shares Deep Connection with Purdue HC Barry Odom
