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Zion Gunn to portal

member of last year's class ( Walters first)
Technically, he was a recruit retained from Brohm’s recruitment.
C Walters scrambled to add couple more in 2023 class like Rodgers Jr and Branch, but most of the class was Brohm’s. Mixed bag but some big contributors came from the 2023. Like our safety.
 
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His success is going to be almost solely predicated on him finding it.
Finding them and developing them. Devon Whitherspoon was a 0* prospect out of high school. He became an NFL 1st rounder. Who takes the credit of developing such a player. I felt the Purdue defensive backs played much better later on in the season. With this incoming class and another year of development to the current defensive backs, the Purdue D will make a big jump in the 2024 season.
 
His success is going to be almost solely predicated on him finding it.
I pray the man can recruit the type of player that his scheme demands. We have several posters that claim and in many cases can support that Purdue can't compete with the blue bloods in recruiting.
Run of the mill portal players won't make this defense as effective/dominate as it has to be.....
 
I pray the man can recruit the type of player that his scheme demands. We have several posters that claim and in many cases can support that Purdue can't compete with the blue bloods in recruiting.
Run of the mill portal players won't make this defense as effective/dominate as it has to be.....
And that’s the crux of our argument. I’ve never said Walters can’t recruit. I’d bet good money he raises the talent level over what was left from Brohm. That’s fine.

That doesn’t get us wins though when you’re out coached and out schemed every week. Brohms defenses weren’t great but they did work to minimize our weak points and adjust to try and win games.

With Walters, we’ve just called it and run it and if it didn’t work…let’s do it again! Good coaches, ones successful at the P5 level put their players in a position to win, NOT in a position of weakness. If you can’t successfully run the D, YOU HAVE TO DO SOMETHING ELSE!

Couple that with the offensive blackout we had in the middle of the year…this team squandered a lot of winnable opportunities…even ones when our QB was out!
 
And that’s the crux of our argument. I’ve never said Walters can’t recruit. I’d bet good money he raises the talent level over what was left from Brohm. That’s fine.

That doesn’t get us wins though when you’re out coached and out schemed every week. Brohms defenses weren’t great but they did work to minimize our weak points and adjust to try and win games.

With Walters, we’ve just called it and run it and if it didn’t work…let’s do it again! Good coaches, ones successful at the P5 level put their players in a position to win, NOT in a position of weakness. If you can’t successfully run the D, YOU HAVE TO DO SOMETHING ELSE!

Couple that with the offensive blackout we had in the middle of the year…this team squandered a lot of winnable opportunities…even ones when our QB was out!
I am not sure why you do not understand that it was year 1 for C Walters. It takes time for coaches to evaluate the talent and get the personnel they need. None of the year 1 coaches in the Big Ten West met their expectation (Rhule, Fickel…. Braun actually did more with what he had).

The scheme is fine. I actually like that Purdue runs an offense (other than Wisc) and D (other than Illini) that is different from rest of the conference.

if year 2 is a dud then changes will probably be on the horizon and you can btch then.

if you like Brohm that much then maybe you should just root for Louisville.
 
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I’ve never said Walters can’t recruit. I’d bet good money he raises the talent level over what was left from Brohm.
You have said repeatedly and unequivocally that Walters has zero chance to get the players lmao
 
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You have said repeatedly and unequivocally that Walters has zero chance to get the players lmao
I think he’ll get better players than we usually do.

But yes, he has 0 shot to bring in 3 corners who can lock down P5 level WRs every play. Until he does we will continue to give up 3rd down (and longs) like crazy!
 
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I think he’ll get better players than we usually do.

But yes, he has 0 shot to bring in 3 corners who can lock down P5 level WRs every play. Until he does we will continue to give up 3rd down (and longs) like crazy!
Right, I mean it's not like he's ever put together a good defense before.
 
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Bielema said they didn’t run this version of it ever at Illinois. After one season, we know why! It simply doesn’t work!
If you are saying Illinois did not run the same defense in 2023, you have not been watching the games. Watch the Illinois vs Purdue highlights. Illinois did not have Dillon.

Bielema is in a tough spot because C Walters given credit for developing the Illinois defensive players in the past. He is losing good defensive recruits to Purdue. Luke Williams come to mind. Bielema needs to say they are doing something different and can have success without C Walters and his scheme for future recruits.

time will tell which is right. But let’s not pretend Illinois did not have a good 2022 season because of C Walters and the scheme and the players that were developed by him.
 
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I am not sure why you do not understand that it was year 1 for C Walters. It takes time for coaches to evaluate the talent and get the personnel they need. None of the year 1 coaches in the Big Ten West met their expectation (Rhule, Fickel…. Braun actually did more with what he had).

The scheme is fine. I actually like that Purdue runs an offense (other than Wisc) and D (other than Illini) that is different from rest of the conference.

if year 2 is a dud then changes will probably be on the horizon and tyou can btch then.

if you like Brohm that much then maybe you should just root for Louisville.
Year number one has nothing to do with what 18 is saying. Any coach in year 1 or 21 should be able to adjust in real time and certainly in game situations if they are worth their pay and worthy of a P5 coaching position..
 
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Year number one has nothing to do what 18 is saying. Any coach in year 1 or 21 should be able to adjust in real time and certainly in game situations if they are worth their pay and worthy of a P5 coaching position..
Ideally yes but not sure how realistic it is. If we wanted continuaity we should have just hired Brian Brohm and kept Haggen as our DC.

Year 1 coaches are tricky. There is a reason why Vegas people predict a dip on first year coaches. Even Norte Dame saw a dip when C Freeman took over.

i would argue that coaches did adjust. The offense had pivoted and changed they way our running backs were attacking the gaps, instead of going straight on, more counters. Highlighting Mockabee and Tracy’s abilities.
 
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Ideally yes but not sure how realistic it is. If we wanted continuaity we should have just hired Brian Brohm and kept Haggen as our DC.

Year 1 coaches are tricky. There is a reason why Vegas people predict a dip on first year coaches. Even Norte Dame saw a dip when C Freeman took over.

i would argue that coaches did adjust. The offense had pivoted and changed they way our running backs were attacking the gaps, instead of going straight on, more counters. Highlighting Mockabee and Tracy’s abilities.
Hoping that 2024 is what it can be and CRW has a winning season....
 
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Ideally yes but not sure how realistic it is. If we wanted continuaity we should have just hired Brian Brohm and kept Haggen as our DC.

Year 1 coaches are tricky. There is a reason why Vegas people predict a dip on first year coaches. Even Norte Dame saw a dip when C Freeman took over.

i would argue that coaches did adjust. The offense had pivoted and changed they way our running backs were attacking the gaps, instead of going straight on, more counters. Highlighting Mockabee and Tracy’s abilities.
Nobody wants the guy to fail but when you spend 12 games doing the same thing with little success…why not just go ahead and write the ending? It’s clear things won’t change until the scheme or talent does. And please remind me the last time we had 3 lockdown corners on a Purdue roster at once…cuz that’s what we will need!
 
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Nobody wants the guy to fail but when you spend 12 games doing the same thing with little success…why not just go ahead and write the ending? It’s clear things won’t change until the scheme or talent does. And please remind me the last time we had 3 lockdown corners on a Purdue roster at once…cuz that’s what we will need!
Jim Harbaugh can not beat Ohio State. Until he did 3x

SEC is the only conference that will have two teams in the CFB Playoffs. Until the Big Ten did last year.

Purdue can not have 3 lockdown corners on the roster. Until they will with C Walters.

Just because it has not been done does not mean it will not ever.

I like the young corners we have now and the ones that will come in the 2024 class.
 
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No coach is as good or as bad as the fans believe. However with the mass transfer portal rate, The days of using 4 years to build a team and judge how a coach is doing is long gone. In today’s game, if a coach can’t build a successful program in 2 years, he never will.

If ADs were smart, they would stop offering coaches long term deals until they have proven their worth. This would eliminate a lot of expensive buy outs.
 
If ADs were smart, they would stop offering coaches long term deals until they have proven their worth. This would eliminate a lot of expensive buy outs.
Then you will only get a head coach that no other P2 school wants.
 
Then you will only get a head coach that no other P2 school wants.
So how many other schools wanted to hire Walters? Was Purdue in a big bidding war for him? I said it before with Hazell and Brohm to offer them a short contract. If they are successful offer them a new contract. That’s essentially what they did with Brohm. All too often you see schools offering big long term contracts only to fire the coach several years later and pay huge buyouts. I’ve also been against the mega long term contracts given to professional athletes who never come close to maintaining the performance that merited the contract. The Dodgers will regret the money they just gave out. Just think what Texas A&M could do with all the buyout money they spent on coaches.
 
So how many other schools wanted to hire Walters? Was Purdue in a big bidding war for him?
Walters’ contract is very favorable to Purdue if he doesn’t work out.

He was making $1.3 million a year at Illinois. If we lowballed him, he could have just stayed put and waited, or gone to the SEC for a DC job at $2 million a year, rather than take a huge risk at a middling B1G football school, with relatively no payoff.
 
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