Close up view of a Purdue Boilermakers helmet / Mike Carter-Imagn Images

Purdue has made another key hire as it continues to assemble its coaching staff for the 2025 college football season. Friday, the Boilermakers announced that Memphis assistant Charles Clark will be the new defensive backs coach in West Lafayette.

Clark just completed his fifth season at Memphis, working with the defensive backs from 2020-23 before shifting to safeties in 2024. He was also the assistant head coach in 2022 and 2023 and was the deputy head coach in 2024.

Clark has been on the college sidelines as a coach since 2008. He began at Duke as a quality control intern before earning a spot as a graduate assistant in 2009. Since then, Clark has had stops with San Jose State (2010-12), Colorado (2013-16), Oregon (2017), Ole Miss (2019) and Memphis (2020-24).

Before he got into coaching, Clark was a defensive back at Ole Miss from 2003-06. He ended his career with the Rebels with 198 tackles, 12 pass break-ups, five fumble recoveries and three interceptions.

PURDUE GETS FIRST TRANSFER PLAYER: Purdue football has landed its first transfer portal commitment, getting a pledge from former Arkansas quarterback Malachi Singleton. CLICK HERE

PURDUE FINDS NEW DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Barry Odom is bringing Mike Scherer, his defensive coordinator at UNLV, to West Lafayette, per reports. Scherer will be the Boilers' defensive coordinator. CLICK HERE

PURDUE HIRES DE COACH: Purdue coach Barry Odom has hired Jake Trump as the next defensive ends coach of the Boilermakers. Trump played at Missouri under Odom. CLICK HERE