Purdue football could not avoid another mauling at the hands of a playoff contender Saturday,
Go ahead and bury that 49-10 loss. Bury the entire nine-game losing streak, really. The conversation shifted from the Boilermakers’ present to the future no later than Northwestern’s breakaway touchdown in overtime two weeks ago.
You’re probably thinking that means confronting the question of Ryan Walters’ continued employment. While we’re all curious about that, another question feels equally urgent.
Does it matter who coaches Purdue next season — or any season — if other programs skim off the top of the roster every year? It would be naive to think no one on this roster has been approached. In addition to name, image and likeness deals, playing time and exposure, other programs can also offer a way out of the disappointment and noise enveloping the Boilermakers.
Purdue vs. Penn State grades:So bad some Boilers fans couldn’t bear to watch.
Saturday’s game reemphasized the importance of player retention. I’ll explain what I mean more in a moment. But since this conversation is already ongoing, I took it to both Walters and tight end Max Klare.
I did not seek to single Klare out specifically. Of the two players brought to the postgame news conference — linebacker Kydran Jenkins being the other — Klare is the one with both a rising prospect profile and remaining eligibility.
I wanted to know how he and teammates in a similar situation are handling their future while fighting for some sort of tangible progress on the field.
“I just go day-by-day,” said Klare, who totaled 71 yards on six catches, got whacked in the throat so bad he went to the medical tent, then returned to catch Purdue’s only touchdown.
“I’m here right now. I’m gonna focus on my job, do my job at the highest level, and then the rest will take care of itself.”
The list of potential targets for other programs may be longer than you’d suspect. Purdue put together a top-40 high school recruiting class separate from its transfer portal haul last winter. Several of those players have risen up the depth chart to either start or play real snaps.
Walters knows what the gut punch feels like when they leave. Offers lured away All-Big Ten defensive end Nic Scourton and leading receiver Deion Burks last winter. Purdue replaced both in body, but not in performance. Not even close.
Developing talent despite the results on the field is the one chance Purdue has to build momentum going into December. Walters, already scrambling to find a way to reverse performances such as Saturday’s and finagle another victory, admitted the staff is already engaged in strategies and conversations about keeping the best pieces of this roster intact.
“You’ve got to evaluate the roster in its entirety and identify who you can’t let walk out the door,” Walters said. “We have learned from that as a program. Obviously, with the new rules that have changed with revenue share and the transfer portal and the size of the roster — absolutely, we’re in talks almost every day with that specific department within our program
“We’ve already begun discussions with guys on our roster about their plans for the future and where we see them in terms of their status on our team. So you’ve got to navigate it carefully, strategically, and you’ve got to have open, honest and transparent conversation.”
Those new rules stem from the settlement in the House vs. NCAA case, whereby athletic departments can begin to pay players directly. Millions of dollars will tentatively be available beginning next fall. It may not impact what teams can offer — or at least guarantee — current or prospective players right now.
This topic had already been hanging around in the background for the past several weeks.
Watching Penn State’s Tyler Warren and Abdul Carter chew up the Boilermakers on Saturday brought it back to front of mind.
Warren is basically the Abominable Snowmonster from the old Frosty the Snowman cartoon come to life. At times Saturday the 6-6, 260-pound tight end resembled a dump truck flattening traffic cones. That is, until he took a direct snap at the Purdue 48, hit the edge and raced untouched to the end zone for his second touchdown of the day.
He’s fast for his size, sure, but he made the Boilermaker linebackers and secondary look slow for any frame.
Carter was an All-Big Ten linebacker last season. He’ll be an All-Big Ten defensive end this season. He recorded two tackles for loss and a quarterback hurry Saturday. As with many elite edge rushers, those stats do not describe the extent of his menace.
Those are not the only future impact NFL players on Penn State’s roster. Point is, sometimes even a couple of those players cover up deficiencies elsewhere. They provide the shoulders on which to place the burden of an entire team, even for a short stretch, maybe even for one crucial play.
Scourton sure did that with his Big Ten-leading 10 sacks. Burks’ seven touchdowns last season are one fewer than all of Purdue’s wide receivers have combined for this season.
Klare can maybe be one of those guys. He gets open and wins at the point of the catch and can get the ball upfield. Maybe Will Heldt, too, as the second-year defensive end recorded another tackle for loss Saturday. Dillon Thieneman had at least one serious suitor last winter after nearly leading the nation in interceptions.
Speculating on names makes me uneasy. It’s not really fair. It’s also an unavoidable conversation around a program spiraling toward a potential 1-11 finish.
Maybe a bigger NIL war chest would not have made a difference last winter. Scourton is from Texas, and a chance to go home and play in the SEC for A&M — with a lucrative benefits package — might have been impossible for Purdue to match.
That should also be a reminder that NIL money will not be the only factor in current player retention conversations. Which assistant coaches — almost all of whom have contracts which expire at the end of the season — will return? Will a change to position coaches push some players away, or in some cases, give them another reason to stay?
There’s also the matter of the general state of the program. This one turned chaotic early with a 66-7 haymaker from Notre Dame and never really bounced back. Players who joined the program over the past two seasons bought into Walters and his long-term vision.
That vision has been buried under the 247-23 point differential against Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Oregon, Ohio State and Penn State. Walters emphatically says he believes he can lead a resurgence.
“I’m competitive, and so when you don’t win — I don’t care if you’re playing cards or you’re playing in the Super Bowl — it (stinks). I hate it,” Walters said. “But I also know where we’re going. I know who I am, I know what I’m capable of, and I know what this program is capable of if everybody’s on the same page.
“And so that’s what gets me excited and keeps me motivated. Because I believe that is a good job, and I believe in what we’re doing and how we’re doing it.”
Do the players share that conviction? I’ve asked several in recent weeks. They keep saying they want to win in part to reward this coaching staff.
Once again, I put Klare on the spot as Saturday’s spokesperson.
“You’ve got to stay confident, because you’ve always got to have hope,” Klare said. “Keep moving forward, keep your head down and keep working.”
I was told at midseason that Purdue’s administration wanted to see “proof of concept” from Walters down the stretch. Some players may be also looking for signs of success on the horizon — even the distant horizon.
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