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Illinois Football: 5 options to replace Ryan Walters as Illini defensive coordinator

By Rees Woodcock

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - NOVEMBER 6: Head coach Bret Bielema of the Illinois Fighting Illini looks on in the second quarter of the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium on November 6, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Fighting Illini defeated the Golden Gophers 14-6. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - NOVEMBER 6: Head coach Bret Bielema of the Illinois Fighting Illini looks on in the second quarter of the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium on November 6, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Fighting Illini defeated the Golden Gophers 14-6. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) /
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CHAMPAIGN, IL – NOVEMBER 05: Head coach Brett Bielema of the Illinois Fighting Illini is seen during the game against the Michigan State Spartans at Memorial Stadium on November 5, 2022 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

Illinois football lost a pretty big member of the family on Tuesday when defensive coordinator Ryan Walters took over the Purdue football program.

This move came as a surprise, but only because I thought Walters had one more season leading the Illini. He has earned the head coaching position with the Boilermakers, though. Walters is a great defensive coordinator.

But this also leaves many Illini fans wondering who we are going to hire as the next defensive coordinator. There are a few options that come to mind. Some are internal, some are familiar names, and there is one wild card I threw in there.

Here are the five options to replace Ryan Walters as the Illinois football defensive coordinator.

1. Chris Ash – Current Las Vegas Raiders DB Coach

The first name I am going to throw out there for the defensive coordinator position is Chris Ash. Yes, if that name sounds familiar, he was a former Big Ten coach.

Ash has a long history of coaching. He started at San Diego State as a defensive backs coach and then worked his way up from there.

In 2011, Ash would join Bielema’s coaching staff at Wisconsin as the defensive coordinator. They would spend two seasons together, and Wisconsin would only give up 19.7 points and 19.0 points per game while Ash was the defensive coordinator.

Bielema would then go to Arkansas, and Ash followed him. Ash was the defensive coordinator for one season with the Razorbacks before taking the Rutgers head coaching job.

Ash is currently the Las Vegas Raiders defensive backs coach. He is developing one of the youngest secondaries in the NFL. One of those young players includes former Illini Nate Hobbs, who currently ranks No. 3 among cornerbacks in red zone defense and No. 11 in pass rush defense.

Bielema tends to hire people he is familiar with as a coach. Most of the coaches he hires he has been around. Ash has experience at the college level, and he is familiar with Bielema. This seems like a good fit.

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