💸 Purdue fires DC Kevin Kane; On3 says $1M still owed for 2027

Purdue head coach Barry Odom fired defensive coordinator Kevin Kane on Sunday, Nov 8, the Associated Press reports. The move, announced by the school, came one day after the Boilermakers (3-6, 2-4 Big Ten) lost 34-29 to Maryland. WISH-TV posted its own report at 12:48 PM EST.

Who says what

The AP says Kane was nine games into his second stint as Purdue's defensive play-caller, and that Purdue gave up 27 second-half points to a Maryland team that snapped a 13-game Big Ten losing streak. On3 reports the defense ranks last in the Big Ten in total defense (415.4 yards per game) and 17th in scoring defense (32.3 points per game). WISH-TV says that 32.3 figure is the most by any Big Ten team.

The contract

Here is the scoreboard that matters. On3 reports Kane signed a two-year contract at Purdue, that he is being paid $850,000 in 2026 and that he "will be owed $1 million for 2027." That is On3's reporting; the school has not published figures in any report read.

What nobody has reported is the buyout language itself. The reports read do not say whether Purdue owes the full $1 million, whether it is paid in installments, or whether it shrinks if Kane takes another job.

There is a Purdue precedent on record, with a caveat. In October 2024, The Indianapolis Star reported that the 10 countable assistant coaches were entitled to 100% of their remaining contracts. It also reported that Kane's then-contract ($850,000 for 2025) carried a head-coach-firing clause: if Walters were fired, Purdue would owe Kane and special teams coordinator Chris Petrilli about $275,000 total. That was a different contract, and nothing read says the 2026 deal works the same way.

The $1 million reported for Kane's 2027 matches the figure IndyStar reported for Harrell's final year. Both are assistant-coach numbers, and both sit far below the head-coach exits on the board.

The response

Odom was not available for questions Sunday, the AP says. After Saturday's loss he said "we all have to, starting with the head coach, and all the way down the flow chart, we've got to do a better job." No public response from Kane was found in the reports read.

"You can’t play as good as we did early on defense, and then all of a sudden you give up four explosive plays — really for touchdowns. You’ll never win games doing that."

Barry Odom, as quoted by the Associated Press

What happens next

Odom is expected to discuss the change at his regular news conference Monday, per the AP, which also says he has not named a replacement play-caller. On3 reports the staff is working through who will call the defense, that it could be a collective effort, and that analyst Dave Steckel has defensive coordinator experience. Purdue plays at Iowa on Saturday at 7:30 p.m., according to WISH-TV.

Backstory

Kane was Purdue's defensive coordinator for both Ryan Walters seasons, 2023 and 2024. The Purdue Exponent reported his first-year defense recorded 35 sacks, the most since 2004, but that the 2024 unit allowed 39.9 points per game. The AP says everyone on staff was let go after 2024, and Kane spent last season as Minnesota's linebackers coach before Odom brought him back.

Walters himself was fired on Dec 1, 2024, at 5-19, with ESPN reporting he was owed $9.34 million. The Exponent reported on Dec 19, 2025 that Purdue was expected to rehire Kane.

As of Nov 8, 1:21 PM ET, the firing is confirmed by the school's announcement as reported by the AP and WISH-TV. On3 reports the $850,000 and $1 million contract figures. Kane's buyout terms, any mitigation language, his response and the new play-caller are all still unreported, with Odom's Monday news conference the next scheduled chance for answers.