Barry Odom hired by Power 4 program after strong season at UNLV

Barry Odom has done well in his second stint as a head coach. After going 25-25 during his time at Mizzou from 2016-19, Odom was fired.

In 2023, he was hired as UNLV’s head coach and the results have been much better. The Rebels have gone 9-5 and 10-3 in his 2 years in Las Vegas.

Now it seems he’s heading back to the power conference ranks. Per college football insider Ross Dellenger, Odom is finalizing a deal to become Purdue’s next head coach:

Purdue is targeting UNLV’s Barry Odom to be its next head coach, sources tell @YahooSports. The deal is not finalized, but the sides are working towards an agreement.

Odom went 19-8 in two seasons in Las Vegas and was 25-25 at Missouri before that.

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) December 8, 2024

Interestingly, former Purdue head coach Ryan Walters was Odom’s defensive coordinator at Mizzou. Now, he’ll follow Walters at Purdue, where he’ll be expected to quickly turn around a Boilermakers program that has cratered in recent years.

Purdue is coming off an abysmal 1-11 overall record in 2024, with an 0-9 mark in Big Ten play. The only win the Boilermakers had this year came against Indiana State, an FCS program. In Walters’ first season as Purdue’s head coach in 2023, the Boilermakers finished with a 4-8 overall record and a 3-6 mark in B1G action.

With the prevalence of the transfer portal these days, Odom will be able to try to build a new roster quickly. Will he be able to bring some of his UNLV players with him to West Lafayette?

Adam Spencer

Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.