WEST LAFAYETTE — Purdue football coach Barry Odom based his decision to bring Kevin Kane back as defensive coordinator on the coach and man he’s known for two decades, rather than Kane’s previous two-year stint in that role.
Odom knew bringing Kane back one season removed from him being fired along with the rest of Ryan Walters’ staff would draw questions and criticism. At Friday’s news conference recapping Purdue’s transfer portal class, though, he also expressed some validation at Kane’s immediate impact. He said some Boilermaker defensive players who initially entered the transfer portal, or announced their intent to do so, cited Kane’s hire when deciding to return.
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Odom, a former defensive coordinator, said he plans to be more involved defensively than he was a year ago. Kane, though, will call the defense on game days. Odom asserted that was not always the case under Walters, when Kane sometimes carried the coordinator title without play-calling duties.
“He’s got the opportunity to surround himself with some good coaches,” Odom said. “I think that his opportunity now when it’s truly his, he’ll be able to put his identity on it and his stamp on it, and I’m excited to see that.”
Odom first encountered Kane as a player at Kansas City’s Rockhurst High School. Odom, then a Missouri assistant, recruited Kane, but the linebacker chose to play at Kansas. Odom then coached against him and the Jayhawks in the Big 12.
Their careers later converged at various camps and clinics. Odom said those experiences led him to believe Kane can tactically and schematically help elevate what was the Big Ten’s second-worst defense in yards allowed per play last season.
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“I respected the way he played,” Odom said. “He’s got a toughness about him as a player. He carries that over. The linebackers will play well because of his background and pedigree. He’ll adapt and change us schematically along with the help of the room. He’s going to put together a good defense.”
Insider: Barry Odom betrays his forward-facing focus as Purdue coach hiring Kevin Kane
Kane also previously served as defensive coordinator at Northern Illinois and SMU. Walters brought Kane with him from Illinois and made him defensive coordinator. However, he took defensive play-calling duties back during the 2023 season.
Despite the presence of freshman All-American Dillon Thieneman, future second-round NFL Draft pick edge rusher Nic Scourton and three other honorable mention All-Big Ten players, that defense struggled.
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It ranked 11th among Big Ten teams in yards allowed per play, allowed more plays of 20- and 30-plus yards than any other Big Ten team and was third-worst on third down.
The next year, Walters began calling the offense after firing offensive coordinator Graham Harrell mid-season. The defense turned in one of the worst seasons in program history, allowing a Big Ten-worst 6.76 yards per play and 43.5 points per game against FBS opponents.
Bobinski said: Results will be ‘proof’ of whether Kevin Kane was best fit as Purdue DC
After more poor defensive numbers in Odom’s first season, defensive coordinator Mike Scherer left to pursue other opportunities. He later returned to UNLV to coach linebackers.
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Purdue athletic director Mike Bobinski said recently Odom was not restricted financially as to who he could pursue for the vacancy. Odom chose Kane, who signed a two-year contract, starting in Year 1 with the same salary he left off at in 2024.
“I had a lot of respect for the job that he’s done, the type of person and man he is that will lead that side of the ball,” Odom said.
“I know he had an experience here for a couple of years, and I know there will be questions about that. I feel really, really strongly about getting (Kane) hired, and it wasn’t easy to get done. We went through a number of candidates, and he proved to be the right guy for the job right now, on what he has done and what he’s going to bring to us.”
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue coach Barry Odom defends Kevin Kane hire as defensive coordinator
