WEST LAFAYETTE - The following are transcribed selections from the press conference conducted by Executive Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Mike Bobinski on Monday, Dec. 2, as the leader of Purdue Athletics went into detail on the recent leadership change for the school's football program. A full video of the media gathering can be found on Purdue Athletics' YouTube channel and below.
Opening statement...
"For all of us here at Purdue Athletics, our goal is moving forward in the most effective, efficient and expeditious way possible to restore Purdue Football to the level of success that we all expect, aspire to and know we're capable of. We're two years removed from playing in the Big Ten Championship game. Obviously the last two years, for a variety of reasons, have not gone at any level the way we would have preferred them to. We can't go back in time and fix that now, all we can do is fix going forward and that is absolutely the number one objective. Incredibly appreciative of our fan base and their undying support. Our attendance this year was the highest since 2005. The stadium is amazing each and every game day. That will be certainly part of the solution going forward, maintaining that support and continuing that great belief in Purdue. That will be something that will matter as we move forward here. I'll also tell you we are committed to providing a football program and football performance that is worthy of our fan's support. This place deserves that. There's a great tradition here. There's so much pride in our program and so many people have invested so much in Purdue Football over the years. We want to honor that by our actions going forward and we certainly fully intend to. We are well-positioned to land a terrific new head coach and are working diligently to that end."
Does the experience the last two seasons shape what you look for now in terms of experience, offensive background, and so forth?
"I think it's a natural phenomenon when you go in a certain direction you hire a very strong and successful coordinator and it doesn't work that you then are naturally think 'well, maybe then the profile needs to be different and we need an experienced head coach.' At the end of the day, we're going to look for the very best fit for our circumstances today. The person that we believe can quickly and directly bring Purdue Football back to a winning situation. One that understands the current landscape, which is going to be different. 2025 will be different than it's ever been in the history of college football. The last two-and-a-half to three years with the NIL world and how it evolved were very different. Honestly, that world did not advantage Purdue. That was a challenge for us for a variety of reasons. Our folks don't necessarily respond warmly to the way NIL evolved in the recent past, but that's going to change as we move forward and I think that will bring the world back to us in a positive way. But, you need a coach that understands that, embraces that, and understands that the new world is going to require a new way of thinking. You can't dislike the way things have evolved because they have evolved. You have to be able to thrive in that and find a way to be successful and I'm certain we have candidates that exactly fit that profile."
Continuing on the question above...
"We're going to go back to a winning coach. I think you can do that in a lot of different ways. If you look at the best teams in the country right now, the profiles are across the board. You have to be good on offense, on defense and sound on special teams. You can't miss on any one of those … we're going to try to find someone that, wherever their background primarily is from, is going to have to be able to balance the other elements of the game to provide a winning opportunity for us."
What did you say to the team to aid in a possible smooth transition?
"You have 120 young men in that locker room that need stability. They need a sense of direction and sense of this being a place where they're taken care of. I tried to convey that to them yesterday that none of us are happy about where we are. The season clearly didn't go to expectations, and I told them I believe in that room there's more talent than we had in terms of performance this year. Our goal going forward is to have this be the last season we ever experience this. Our goal is to find a head coach that is able and capable of quickly assembling a staff, set of strategy and schemes, and coaching them to a place of success, giving them the experience they deserve here at Purdue."
How important now, as you look at potential candidates, is their ability to bring staff, but now in this new world, also players with them?
"All of that would certainly be a plus if we're able to move in that direction and that will be part of the consideration as we evaluate candidates. Who is in the best position to have a quick and positive impact. Understanding we're not just trying to have a great team next year, we're trying to build a great program that's sustainably successful. Having some immediate success matters these days and we all understand that. We're going to work hard to land in that place."
Opening statement...
"For all of us here at Purdue Athletics, our goal is moving forward in the most effective, efficient and expeditious way possible to restore Purdue Football to the level of success that we all expect, aspire to and know we're capable of. We're two years removed from playing in the Big Ten Championship game. Obviously the last two years, for a variety of reasons, have not gone at any level the way we would have preferred them to. We can't go back in time and fix that now, all we can do is fix going forward and that is absolutely the number one objective. Incredibly appreciative of our fan base and their undying support. Our attendance this year was the highest since 2005. The stadium is amazing each and every game day. That will be certainly part of the solution going forward, maintaining that support and continuing that great belief in Purdue. That will be something that will matter as we move forward here. I'll also tell you we are committed to providing a football program and football performance that is worthy of our fan's support. This place deserves that. There's a great tradition here. There's so much pride in our program and so many people have invested so much in Purdue Football over the years. We want to honor that by our actions going forward and we certainly fully intend to. We are well-positioned to land a terrific new head coach and are working diligently to that end."
Does the experience the last two seasons shape what you look for now in terms of experience, offensive background, and so forth?
"I think it's a natural phenomenon when you go in a certain direction you hire a very strong and successful coordinator and it doesn't work that you then are naturally think 'well, maybe then the profile needs to be different and we need an experienced head coach.' At the end of the day, we're going to look for the very best fit for our circumstances today. The person that we believe can quickly and directly bring Purdue Football back to a winning situation. One that understands the current landscape, which is going to be different. 2025 will be different than it's ever been in the history of college football. The last two-and-a-half to three years with the NIL world and how it evolved were very different. Honestly, that world did not advantage Purdue. That was a challenge for us for a variety of reasons. Our folks don't necessarily respond warmly to the way NIL evolved in the recent past, but that's going to change as we move forward and I think that will bring the world back to us in a positive way. But, you need a coach that understands that, embraces that, and understands that the new world is going to require a new way of thinking. You can't dislike the way things have evolved because they have evolved. You have to be able to thrive in that and find a way to be successful and I'm certain we have candidates that exactly fit that profile."
Continuing on the question above...
"We're going to go back to a winning coach. I think you can do that in a lot of different ways. If you look at the best teams in the country right now, the profiles are across the board. You have to be good on offense, on defense and sound on special teams. You can't miss on any one of those … we're going to try to find someone that, wherever their background primarily is from, is going to have to be able to balance the other elements of the game to provide a winning opportunity for us."
What did you say to the team to aid in a possible smooth transition?
"You have 120 young men in that locker room that need stability. They need a sense of direction and sense of this being a place where they're taken care of. I tried to convey that to them yesterday that none of us are happy about where we are. The season clearly didn't go to expectations, and I told them I believe in that room there's more talent than we had in terms of performance this year. Our goal going forward is to have this be the last season we ever experience this. Our goal is to find a head coach that is able and capable of quickly assembling a staff, set of strategy and schemes, and coaching them to a place of success, giving them the experience they deserve here at Purdue."
How important now, as you look at potential candidates, is their ability to bring staff, but now in this new world, also players with them?
"All of that would certainly be a plus if we're able to move in that direction and that will be part of the consideration as we evaluate candidates. Who is in the best position to have a quick and positive impact. Understanding we're not just trying to have a great team next year, we're trying to build a great program that's sustainably successful. Having some immediate success matters these days and we all understand that. We're going to work hard to land in that place."
Stay tuned to PurdueSports.com and the department's social media accounts for future updates on the Boilermaker football program.