Ryan Walters was the first and only choice as the next defensive coordinator at Washington according to Jedd Fisch. At a press conference on Monday. Fisch called Walters the “best defensive coordinator in the country.” Walters’ response was, “I agree.” The new coordinator had successful stints in charge of the defenses at Missouri and at Illinois. That earned him a head coaching job at Purdue. It only lasted two seasons, but what Walters learned in West Lafayette combined with his pedigree on the defensive side of the football make him the optimal defensive coordinator at Washington.
Ryan Walters Outlines Washington’s Goals On Defense
Why Washington?
“Washington checked all those boxes,” Walters said of his non-negotiables. He referenced his familiarity with the conference, having coached in the Big Ten since 2021. The location is convenient for him with his parents being in the area as well. But beyond that, Walters said it was, “Because of who Coach Fisch is, what his experience is.” The player development aspect and “Be A Pro” mantra were important to Walters.
The day after Walters was let go by Purdue, he took his family to Disney World. He said he was fortunate from a financial standpoint to have the time and option to evaluate his next step. But by day three, he knew he wanted to get back into coaching. “You get the itch to be a part of a team, you miss the relationships… you miss competing.”
The Ryan Walters Defense
Shortly after he was hired at Washington, we took a deep dive into the schematics of Walters’ defense at Illinois. But on Monday we got a chance to hear about his defense from Walters himself. “There are things that are musts on defense,” Walters began. “Effort and physicality. We’ll be great in the red zone, we’ll be great on third down, and we’ll be great at taking the football away.” Illinois finished first in the nation with 24 interceptions during the 2022 season. They finished ninth in third down conversion percentage allowed (30%) and first in red zone touchdown percentage allowed (35.5%). The numbers speak to what Walters’ goals are, and he plans to replicate them in Seattle.
To achieve these goals, there will be some wrinkles compared to last season. Walters’ defense will play a lot more man coverage than the average team. The base look is likely to be cover one with a five-man defensive front, something he’s done at every stop. He took a talented secondary at Illinois, refined their technique, and produced one of the best pass defenses in the nation in 2022. At the same time, his defensive front included two players with double-digit tackles for loss on the season.
Keeping The Roots
Schematically, it won’t be a night and day shift from what Washington was a year ago. But as the tape shows and as he confirmed, Walters’ priorities on defense include showing different looks up front and being aggressive. “I believe in presenting different pictures up front, attacking offenses, especially on early downs to give advantageous third down situations.”
Walters coached under Bret Bielema at Illinois. Prior to his current tenure in Champaign, Bielema spent two seasons with the New England Patriots. He was a consultant to Bill Belichick in 2018, and the team’s defensive line coach in 2019. Steve Belichick was an assistant coach on the defense during that time.
Amidst the coaching turnover, Fisch prioritized maintaining the roots of the defensive system that was installed last season under Belichick. After Belichick left for North Carolina, “I was researching who had ties to that system,” Fisch said. “The fact that Bret Bielema came from New England the year before I [went to New England]. He went to Illinois, and when hired coach Walters, then I knew that there was a really good tie in that the system didn’t have to completely be revamped.”
Head Coaching Background
Walters had just five wins in two seasons at Purdue, but the perspective that head coaching experience brings to being a coordinator is valuable. “You have a broader sense of the program and a different perspective,” Walters said. “That will help the managing aspect of being a coordinator.”
The back half of last season at Purdue provided Walters with another unique look at the chess match between the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. “I was also more heavily involved in the offensive side of the ball towards the end of the year last year.” Walters took over play-calling duties in October after the Boilermakers fired their offensive coordinator. “Seeing the game from that lens, and learning the ins and outs of how offenses are trying to attack a defense, and what they’re looking at,” Walters described, “I think will pay dividends moving forward as a defensive coordinator.”
Recruiting Footprint
In terms of Walters’ as a recruiter, we saw what he did in a short stint at Purdue. He added transfers who made immediate impacts on the defense and landed three highly rated defensive backs in the class of 2024. At Washington, he’ll have the opportunity to recruit in the other half of the country. “This recruiting cycle has been fun, just to get back on the West Coast,” he said. “The logo is very well received out this way.” The majority of Walters’ recruiting footprint has been throughout the Midwest and in the Eastern half of the country. A few of his top recruited players include four-star Jalani Williams (‘19) out of Saint Louis and four-star Tarrion Grant (‘24) out of Tennessee.
“I’ve been very pleasantly surprised at the level of ball out this way, [and] the level of coaching out this way,” Walters said of the high school landscape in Washington. “Recruiting is about relationships, and that’s something I take pride in.” He’s off to a fast start as he’s been on the road with the defensive staff making visits and extending offers to recruits. That includes four-star athlete Davon Benjamin Jr. out of California who has Washington in his final eight. Also, three-star defensive lineman Tufanua Ionatana “TI” Umu-Cais out of Colorado.
The Best 11 Will Play
Ultimately, Walters holds true to the idea that the best players will play. “The only thing that matters is what you put on tape from snap to whistle,” Walters recalled the impact that a true freshman had during the 2023 season at Purdue to strengthen his point. “I had a true freshman safety start game one,” Walters recalled. “And [he] ended up with like 112 tackles, six picks, and was third-team All-American.” That player was Dillon Thieneman, who had just four offers from Power schools.
“If you turn on the tape and the tape says you’re ready to go play and compete, and try and help the University win a championship, then your butt better be out there playing.” Walters continued to reiterate that it’s his job as a defensive coordinator and the job of the defensive staff to give every player enough tools to have success. In this age of college football where players flow in and out from year to year, incoming freshmen have the talent to compete right away, and returning players are fighting to keep their spots, Walters’ emphasis is on not over-complicating things to let the best players rise to the top.
Main Image: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images
