Tom Dienhart

Sporting News has learned that Purdue will name Eastern Kentucky coach Danny Hope as the successor to Joe Tiller.

Purdue athletics director Morgan Burke hatched the plan to tab Hope as the heir to Tiller. Hope will serve on the staff as an assistant in 2008 and ascend to head coach in 2009.

Hope served on Tiller's staff from 1997-2001 as offensive line coach before joining Louisville's staff in 2002. A year later, Hope took over EKU, his alma mater.

Hope has posted a winning record in all five seasons at Eastern Kentucky, leading the Colonels to a 9-3 record in 2007 and a first-round playoff loss to Richmond.

Tiller just completed his 11th season in West Lafayette. He has an 83-54 record at Purdue and has taken the school to bowls in 10 of his 11 seasons.

Tiller, 65, is two wins from passing Jack Mollenkopf as the school's all-time victory leader.

Tiller, who is under contract until 2010 and makes close to $1.8 million per year, widely is credited with lifting the Boilermaker program to its greatest heights since the 1960s, as the program hadn't been to a bowl in the 12 seasons prior to his arrival in 1997.

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The 2000 season was the high-water mark for Tiller, when he took Purdue to its first Rose Bowl since the 1966 season behind the play of quarterback Drew Brees. The Boilermakers went to bowls in each of Tiller's first nine years before missing the postseason in 2005. Purdue has been to bowls each of the last two years.

But since going 9-4 overall and 6-2 in the Big Ten in 2003, the program has grown stale the last four seasons (28-22 overall, 15-17 Big Ten). In addition, Tiller has had to battle retirement rumors on the recruiting trail.