Ranking all 14 Big Ten head coaches entering 2023 season

13. Ryan Walters, Purdue

Like Braun, Walters will be a head coach at the college level for the first time in 2023, and will take over a Purdue program that was on the rise with Jeff Brohm at the helm, winning eight games or more in back-to-back seasons the past two years for the first time in over a decade. A former safety at Colorado, Walters got his start in coaching back at his alma mater before stops at Arizona, Oklahoma, North Texas, Memphis and Missouri as a defensive assistant. 

In 2016, Walters became the defensive coordinator at Mizzou, and held the same role the past two seasons at Illinois on Bret Bielema’s staff, overseeing an improved Fighting Illini defense. An up-and-comer in the coaching ranks, Walters may not see instant success with the Boilermakers, but the future seems bright with the 37-year-old at the helm.