Kane's second stint in the job lasted nine games. He is owed the remainder of the base salary in his contract — roughly $140,000 for November and December and $1 million for next season.

The decision to rehire Kane was widely questioned when it was made, given that his previous tenure at Purdue also produced poor defensive results. Odom, who was not with the program in 2024, defended the hire in January by saying Kane would now be able to put his own identity on the defense.

"I think that his opportunity now when it's truly his, he'll be able to put his identity on it and his stamp on it, and I'm excited to see that," Odom said at the time.

This season's results did not support that optimism. Purdue ranks last in the Big Ten in yards allowed per play, third-down defense and plays of 40-plus yards allowed. Opponents are gaining 6.79 yards per snap this season, more than the 6.57 they averaged a year ago and even more than during the 2024 debacle (6.76).

Athletic director Mike Bobinski acknowledged the skepticism when Kane was hired, saying the outcome would be judged on results.

"We recognize that people are going to wring their hands over that, that some misjudgment was made," Bobinski said. "The proof will ultimately be in the results. It always is."

Odom now faces a credibility challenge. Keeping Kane for the second season of his contract risked turning lukewarm enthusiasm around the program into apathy, but the firing alone does not answer the questions that matter: whether Odom will make a bold, progressive hire this winter and whether transfer portal targets — whom the program desperately needs — will buy into his plan.

Odom had a blueprint for hiring a coordinator whose talent and creativity could elevate the unit's performance. During his time at UNLV, offensive coordinator Brennan Marion's unique "Go-Go Offense" — a high-tempo attack heavy on misdirection and multi-back sets — contributed greatly to that staff's success. Marion was not a seasoned coordinator when Odom hired him; he had been a high school coach and a position coach climbing from Division II to Hawaii, Pitt and Texas.

Purdue projected to face another talent deficit on defense this season, so it needed a schematic advantage — a unique system that would be unpredictable and confusing for opposing play callers and quarterbacks. Instead, the defense has excited opposing quarterbacks.

Indiana State's Brady Allen threw bombs against Purdue's starters in the fourth quarter on opening day, an early indication that the team would operate with a low floor.

Only so much blame falls on Kane. He spent last season as an analyst at Minnesota while his family remained in Tippecanoe County, and the raise that came with returning to Purdue was significant. Others argue Bobinski should have vetoed the hire, though administrative meddling in assistant coach hires sets a worrisome precedent.

The sin was in the offer, not its acceptance or approval. Odom botched a huge decision at a pivotal moment, and Sunday's firing converted Kane from social media whipping boy to scapegoat.

Purdue now stands three games as a betting underdog away from a make-or-break portal window. No one can blame the players it wants to bring in — and the few it needs to keep — for doubting whether Odom's next hire will put them in position to succeed.