Former Ball State defensive coordinator David Elson is joining Jeff Brohm's Purdue staff.
Sources tell FootballScoop it will be in a defensive quality control type role.
Elson has stops as a defensive coordinator at both Ball State and New Mexico State, as well as the FCS level at Western Illinois, Southern Illinois and during Western Kentucky's FCS national championship run in 2002.
He also served as the head coach at Western Kentucky from 2003-09, where he oversaw the Hilltoppers transition to the FBS level. While the program had some success at the FCS level under his leadership, going 30-16 from 2003-06, their first season as a full-fledged member of the FBS in the Sun Belt saw an 0-12 finish and he was fired
Back in early December of 2019, after three seasons in the defensive coordinator role in Muncie, Elson was let go.
He spent last season at NAIA power Marian (IN), where he took over a defense with national title aspirations and led them to a top 20 defense in NAIA in terms of total defense, and rush defense, and the #2 defense in the country in sacks per game.
Marian announced recently that safeties coach Tyler Stinn, who has been with the program for six seasons and has also coached the highly successful Knights defensive line, was promoted to take over for Elson.
After a taste of small college football, Elson now finds himself back at the FBS level with the Boilermakers.