After coaching at Colorado, Arizona, Oklahoma, Texas, North Texas, Memphis and Missouri, Ryan Walters has decided to join Bret Bielema’s staff as the Illini defensive coordinator.
These reports have not yet been confirmed by Illinois, but Football Scoop was first to the story and ESPN had sources confirm on Wednesday morning.
While Bret Bielema is a primarily defensive-minded coach, he has hired a coordinator on both sides of the bar.
Walters comes from his most recent job at Missouri, where the Tigers gave up 32.3 points per game in 2020 — however, that included facing teams like LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma, Florida and Georgia.