Purdue Hires UNLV’s Barry Odom As Their Next Head Coach

Purdue Hires UNLV’s Barry Odom As Their Next Head Coach

Things could not have gone more wrong for the Purdue football program in 2024. The team went 0-9 on conference play, and 1-11 on the year as a whole. Statistically, it was not much better, as the Boilermakers finished 104th on offense, and 119th on defense. 0-6 against top-25 teams in the loaded Big Ten including a 66-point loss to Indiana. Things might be looking up, however, as the school announced Sunday they have found their next Head Coach in UNLV’s Barry Odom.

Odom is coming into a less-than-stellar program at Purdue, but brings a high-powered offense to the table, something this program has always lacked. His Rebels in 2024 averaged 36.2 points per game, good enough for second in the Mountain West and 14th nationally. Their 251.2 rushing yards per game ranks fifth in the country behind Army, Jacksonville State, Liberty, and New Mexico. Odom’s offense relies on a mobile quarterback, as Hajj-Malik Williams at UNLV rushed for 824 yards and nine touchdowns at QB, so expect them to hit the transfer portal to try and bring one in.

Barry Odom will be a massive culture change from the old ways of Purdue. Odom went 19-8 in his two seasons at UNLV and led the Rebels to back-to-back Mountain West title game appearances. He will be replacing Ryan Walters, who struggled with Purdue going 5-19 in two seasons. This UNLV team was expected to take a bit of a hit after quarterback Matthew Sluka transferred after going 3-0, but this team went 7-3 down the stretch. Don’t let the offensive numbers fool you, however, as Odom has a defensive background as he formerly played linebacker at Missouri and has been the defensive coordinator at Memphis, Missouri, and Arkansas.

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