All Purdue football needs is its own version of Curt Cignetti. Sounds simple, right?

In the new world of NIL and the transfer portal, it's all about instant gratification -- and it should be.

Purdue athletic director Mike Bobinski had no real choice but to fire Ryan Walters. They were non-competitive, they were bleeding recruits and the fan base, which continued to fill Ross-Ade Stadium, was poised to revolt.

Here’s when I felt like Walters was a no-hoper, and it had nothing to do with what was happening on the field (which was ugly, but you knew that): Offensive coordinator Graham Harrell was fired four games into the season, but that’s not the story. The story is that Walters, a defensive coach, inserted himself as the offensive coordinator, which made no sense for myriad reasons. But what it tells you most is he had a weak staff, a short bench with no obvious replacements for that OC position.

Bobinki referenced this Monday when he met the media: The coaching staff never meshed. It never produced results. It spent most afternoons getting run off the field. This next stat is mind-boggling. You could have given Purdue a 34-0 lead before the game and they still would have finished 6-6.

So who does Purdue pursue as its next head coach?

The smart and easy thing would be to say, “They need their own Curt Cignetti.”

Well of course. No problem. Those guys grow on trees.