Purdue coach Ryan Walters needed only three games to know he needed to make a change.
On Sunday, he made that change, firing offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Graham Harrell.
“Decisions like this are never easy,” Walters said in a statement. “After evaluating our start to the season, I felt it would be best for our team to make a change now. We appreciate Graham’s contributions to our program and wish him the best going forward.”
The Boilermakers lost 28-10 against Nebraska the previous day, scoring one of their best with a minute and a half left in the game. The loss was their third in a row and dropped them to 1-3 this season.
After beating FCS Indiana State earlier in the season, Purdue lost 66-7 at home to Notre Dame on Sept. 14 and then fell to Oregon State 38-21 before losing to the Cornhuskers.
Texas transfer quarterback Hudson Card, who joined Purdue when the school hired Harrell before last season, has yet to surpass 200 yards against an FBS team this season. The Boilermakers’ 172.2 passing yards per game are 110th in the FBS. Purdue is tied for 105th in the FBS with 21.8 points per game and its 149.8 rushing yards per game is 79.
The team has yet to announce any plans for an offensive coordinator moving forward.
Harrell, 39, reportedly has two years left on his three-year contract and is owed just under $2 million.
He played under the late Mike Leach at Texas Tech from 2005-08, leaving the school as the NCAA’s all-time leader in passing touchdowns with 134. He was also second in passing yards (15,793). He finished fourth in Heisman voting his senior season.
Prior to joining Purdue, Harrell was the offensive coordinator at West Virginia through the 2022 season and served in the same position at USC from 2019-21.
–Field Level Media