Drew Brees returning to Purdue as interim assistant coach
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (BVM) – It’s been over two decades since Drew Brees last took the field in West Lafayette, becoming arguably the best player in Purdue football history. Now, he is back with the program looking to lead the Boilermakers to success once again.
On Thursday, the Boilermakers announced that Brees was being hired as an interim assistant coach. In the role, he will assist in the team’s preparation for the Citrus Bowl, a game in which Purdue will take on LSU on Jan. 2. In addition, Brees also received a waiver from the NCAA to assist in recruiting.
Drew Brees, the former NFL quarterback, is being hired as an interim assistant coach at Purdue, source tells @SINow.
He wanted to help during the coaching transition. He’ll assist team in prep for the Citrus Bowl and coach in the game. He can also recruit via an NCAA waiver.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) December 15, 2022
Bringing in a familiar face should help the program as they make the transition to a new coaching regime. Last week, Jeff Brohm decided to leave Purdue for Louisville after six years with the program.
Following a few down years, Brohm oversaw a couple of successful campaigns recently, as the Boilermakers went 9-4 in 2021, which included a win in the Music City Bowl, and 8-5 this past season, winning the Big Ten West.
Earlier this week, Purdue announced they were hiring former Illinois defensive coordinator Ryan Walters to become the new head coach of the football program. Despite being just 36 years old, Walters – a former player at Colorado – has over a decade of assistant coaching experience.
The next chapter of 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐮𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 is here. @Coach_Walters, 𝐁𝐎𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐑 𝐔𝐏!
🔗: https://t.co/jTyKsMDFxB pic.twitter.com/h7kxw6mehV
— Purdue Football (@BoilerFootball) December 13, 2022
Meanwhile, Brees is just two years removed from his NFL playing career which ended in 2020 at 41 years old. The 13-time Pro Bowl selection and Super Bowl champion decided to give broadcasting a try last year, as he was part of NBC’s “Football Night in America” pregame show leading into Sunday Night Football.
However, after announcing he was leaving NBC in June, speculation arose on what Brees’ next steps were. While he has kept busy through some advertising spots including one that made headlines recently with PointsBet, a return to one of his former organizations in some kind of capacity always seemed possible.
📢 Brees is back with the Boilers to take on the Bayou Bengals!
Let's get to work, Coach @drewbrees!
🔗: https://t.co/8xiOlxCTio pic.twitter.com/pLnbszoV8r
— Purdue Football (@BoilerFootball) December 15, 2022
Over the course of his Purdue career from 1997-2000, Brees threw for 11,792 yards and 90 touchdowns. He was the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year in both 1998 and 2000 before going on to have a Hall of Fame-worthy career in the NFL.
Now, Purdue fans will wait and see if he can have the same impact as a coach. No matter how long this next chapter of Brees’ time with the Boilermakers lasts, it will be nice to see him donning the black and gold again in West Lafayette.
