Meet the Purdue football coaches: Ryan Walters completes first staff
WEST LAFAYETTE − In the six or so weeks since being hired as Purdue's head football coach, Ryan Walters has been a busy man.
In that time, the former Illinois defensive coordinator has been on the road recruiting while also assembling a coaching staff.
That staff has been finalized.
Four of Walters' assistants, including previously announced defensive coordinator Kevin Kane, joined from last year's Illinois staff, as well as a former Purdue football player during the Joe Tiller era.
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"I am extremely excited and blessed to have this group of coaches join our Purdue family," Walters said in a release. "This staff is dedicated to developing real relationships on and off the field with the young men in our locker room. We have hit the ground running on the recruiting trail with energy and precision. I cannot wait for our team, in its totality, to get on the field this spring."
Here's the full run down on each of Walters' 11 assistants:
Graham Harrell, offensive coordinator
The former record-setting college quarterback assumes the same role he had last season at West Virginia and before that at USC and North Texas. Harrell threw for 15,793 yards and 134 touchdowns as Texas Tech's quarterback from 2005-08. West Virginia averaged 30 points per game with Harrell's offense last season.
Kevin Kane, defensive coordinator
Kane was Walters' right-hand man in Champaign, coaching outside linebackers. A former linebacker himself at Kansas, Kane has been defensive coordinator at Southern Methodist and Northern Illinois. Walters previously said he will call the defense, but needed a coordinator who understood it, which made Kane an obvious choice.
Cory Patterson, associate head coach/receivers
Another short move from Champaign to West Lafayette, Patterson spent five seasons at Illinois coaching tight ends and running backs, joining the Big Ten after a high school head coaching stint in St. Louis.
Sam Carter, cornerbacks
Carter spent time on Missouri's staff when Walters was with the Tigers, one of three Southeastern Conference (SEC) stops in his coaching career. Carter also has been at Arkansas and Mississippi. As a player, Carter was an All-Big 12 safety for TCU.
Lamar Conard, running backs
Conard played for the Boilermakers from 1996-99, a former walk-on defensive back who was awarded a scholarship when Joe Tiller became head coach in 1997. Conard worked under former Purdue defensive coordinator Brock Spack at Illinois State before spending five seasons at Miami (Ohio). He had 118 tackles and four interceptions as a three-year starter at Purdue.
Joe Dineen, outside linebackers
The former All-American linebacker for the Kansas Jayhawks has familiarity with Walters, coming from his Illinois defensive staff last season. He was a graduate assistant at Southern Methodist prior to that, working under Kane, then the defensive coordinator. Dineen signed with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent following his college playing career.
Seth Doege, tight ends
Like Harrell, Doege was a Texas Tech quarterback, throwing for 8,636 yards and 69 touchdowns from 2009-12. After getting his college coaching start at Bowling Green, Doege went to USC. There, Doege was an offensive quality control analyst. He spent last season at Mississippi. Doege was on the Atlanta Falcons practice squad following his college career and before playing in the Canadian Football League.
Brick Haley, defensive line
Haley stays in the Big Ten after coaching the defensive line at Minnesota last season. Haley coached defensive line at Missouri while Walters was on the Tigers' staff. Haley spent two seasons coaching with the Chicago Bears in 2007 and '08. His 31-year coaching career also includes stops at Arkansas, Austin Peay, Troy, Houston, Clemson, Baylor, Georgia Tech, Mississippi State, LSU and Texas. Haley was a star linebacker from 1984-88 at Alabama A&M.
Matt Mattox, offensive line
As co-offensive coordinator at Texas-San Antonio last season, the Roadrunners averaged 476 yards per game. Mattox previously coached at McNeese State. His career began at Butler Community College, where he was at four seasons before spending one season each at Coffeyville Community College, Eastern Illinois, Bowling Green, Tulsa and Texas. Mattox coached at USF in 2017 and '18. He played offensive tackle at Houston after being an an All-American tight end at Butler Community College.
Grant O'Brien, safeties
Coming from the Illinois staff, O'Brien also worked with Walters at Missouri. He previously coached at Northern Arizona, Arizona Christian and Florida International. O'Brien played quarterback, defensive back and special teams at Glendale Community College before finishing his career at Northern Arizona.
Kiero Small, director and strength and conditioning
A former NFL draft pick of the Seattle Seahawks who spent time with the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens in addition to Seattle following his college career at Arkansas, Small spent four years on the strength staff at Michigan. He helped the Wolverines to back-to-back Big Ten championships and two consecutive College Football Playoff appearances.
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @samueltking.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue football officially completes coaching staff