WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue head football coach Jeff Brohm announced a pair of additions to his staff with the hiring of quality control David Elson and director of player development Mel Mills.
"I'm very pleased to have these two outstanding individuals join the staff," Brohm said. "They fit perfectly with our desire to bring in not only outstanding football minds, but people of high character, as well. I know they will work well with our student-athletes and staff."
Elson, who served as the head coach at Western Kentucky for seven seasons (2003-09), joins the Boilermaker staff after spending 2020 as the defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach at Marion University in Indianapolis.
Prior to his lone season at Marion, Elson spent two years (2017-19) at Ball State as the Cardinals' defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach. BSU led the Mid-American Conference in interceptions and turnovers gained during his time in Muncie.
Elson has served as the defensive coordinator at a number of stops during his coaching career, including: Western Illinois, Southern Illinois, New Mexico State and WKU. He has experience in the Big Ten Conference, spending one season as defensive quality control at Indiana.
He was a member of the WKU staff that won the 2002 Football Championship Subdivision national championship and was a finalist for the 2004 Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year Award as the Hilltoppers' head coach.
Mills comes to Purdue after two seasons as the assistant head coach and academics coordinator at Kentucky Wesleyan College. His duties with the Panthers included coaching the defensive line, recruiting, monitoring the team's academic progress and helping to oversee the conduct and image of the student-athletes.
A former college teammate of Jeff Brohm at Louisville, Mills has worked in a variety of roles at a number of football programs. He spent five seasons (2014-18) as the defensive line coach at Franklin College, the last three as defensive coordinator. Prior to that, Mills gained experience as a head coach at Division III Becker College, as well as working on the staff of NFL Europe's Cologne Centurions, and collegiately at Louisville, Oklahoma and as Florida Atlantic's defensive line coach for four seasons (2000-03).
"I'm very pleased to have these two outstanding individuals join the staff," Brohm said. "They fit perfectly with our desire to bring in not only outstanding football minds, but people of high character, as well. I know they will work well with our student-athletes and staff."
Elson, who served as the head coach at Western Kentucky for seven seasons (2003-09), joins the Boilermaker staff after spending 2020 as the defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach at Marion University in Indianapolis.
Prior to his lone season at Marion, Elson spent two years (2017-19) at Ball State as the Cardinals' defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach. BSU led the Mid-American Conference in interceptions and turnovers gained during his time in Muncie.
Elson has served as the defensive coordinator at a number of stops during his coaching career, including: Western Illinois, Southern Illinois, New Mexico State and WKU. He has experience in the Big Ten Conference, spending one season as defensive quality control at Indiana.
He was a member of the WKU staff that won the 2002 Football Championship Subdivision national championship and was a finalist for the 2004 Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year Award as the Hilltoppers' head coach.
Mills comes to Purdue after two seasons as the assistant head coach and academics coordinator at Kentucky Wesleyan College. His duties with the Panthers included coaching the defensive line, recruiting, monitoring the team's academic progress and helping to oversee the conduct and image of the student-athletes.
A former college teammate of Jeff Brohm at Louisville, Mills has worked in a variety of roles at a number of football programs. He spent five seasons (2014-18) as the defensive line coach at Franklin College, the last three as defensive coordinator. Prior to that, Mills gained experience as a head coach at Division III Becker College, as well as working on the staff of NFL Europe's Cologne Centurions, and collegiately at Louisville, Oklahoma and as Florida Atlantic's defensive line coach for four seasons (2000-03).