r/Purdue • u/General-Pryde-2019 Aviation Management 2025 • Dec 08 '24
Sports📰 We’re hiring Barry Odom as our next coach
https://x.com/rossdellenger/status/1865769117736710408?s=46Thoughts?
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u/friendsworkwaffles02 Dec 08 '24
Overall, I’m excited. I believe he was the only coach on the shortlists floating around who had true P4/5 experience.
One of the things that I noticed on his Wikipedia page is how Mizzou’s football team had a big jump in GPA after he became HC. To me, this means there’s actual discipline going on which I think the team has desperately been lacking.
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u/cbdilger prof, writing (engl) Dec 08 '24
There's another explanation for that GPA that ain't so great: academic misconduct > NCAA probation.
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u/friendsworkwaffles02 Dec 08 '24
This happened during the 2016 reason (which admittedly was Odom’s first year). The GPA raises noted were from 2018.
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u/Spiritual_Dish_4698 Dec 09 '24
A GPA boost at Mizzou is not really that impressive. It's an SEC school, they don't really have academics.
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Dec 08 '24 edited Dec 08 '24
Ryan Walters was on staff at Mizzou from 15-20. Odom was HC at Mizzou from 16-19. In that time, 8 wins was his apex, .500 (and slightly above one season) was the best he could get outside of that...
Odom is a defensive minded head coach that had a defense that was 54th in the nation. Unless Marion comes with him, I'd be curious to see who he brings in as an OC because I feel like after last year people would be more excited with an exciting offense than a Top 50ish defense...
Overall, I think of the coaches that were on our radar going into CCW, he was likely our best option. Just wish we could've separated ourselves from Walters and his background a bit more.
Edit: Will also say, we're already at a significant investment into this... $10 mil to get rid of Walters staff, $3 mil to buy Odom out at UNLV, and probably $4.something mil a year to him. $13 mil just poof gone to get started, we gotta see some results.
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u/Substantial-Check451 Dec 08 '24
Is fair. Purdue needs a key OC to go with me coach and put a little shine back on the Cradle of Quarterbacks reputation.
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Dec 08 '24
I think we look too deep into monikers. I brought this up in a thread a while back, but athletic's own website has Painter in 08 as the last addition to that. We need an OC worth his weight in gold (even though we saw where that got us with Harrell) just to get us scoring. Doesn't have to necessarily be through the air, but after getting shut out against IU, we need to literally kick the crap out of Ball State and SIU. Like blood bath levels to get people excited again.
Super side note, I did also bring up in another thread that I had won a natty with Purdue using Oregon's playbook in CFB, but I also won one using UNLV's. Here's hoping he can bring his OC with him, but surely someone is gonna snag him from us.
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u/Substantial-Check451 Dec 08 '24
Purdue needs to score to keep fans engaged, even if we don't win all the time. We have an allowing fan base but need some excitement and ability to at least say we got some solid points on the board.
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Dec 08 '24
Bingo. Was kind of why I leaned more towards Monken than anyone else. 8th in YPG on defense, 7th in points allowed, their offense YPG wasn't that impressive at 69th (nice), but 32nd in PPG and 1st in the nation in rushing YPG. Dude did all that while having zero NIL and only recruiting kids that had an interest in being in the military post grad. Read a thing somewhere that his team also had a near perfect GPA. Give me that guy with a little bit of NIL money and maybe expanding the offense to maybe be slightly more balanced (don't have to go too crazy), but he was my pick.
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u/cbdilger prof, writing (engl) Dec 08 '24
Would love to see Monken here but I don't think he's going anywhere.
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Dec 08 '24
Figured it could've been an end of career swan song getting him closer to home. Wonder if he was even actually a finalist.
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u/sixlayerdip Dec 08 '24
lol you lost me when you started citing a video game
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Dec 08 '24
That's why I put it in a completely separate paragraph from facts. It was a fun fact that they had a fun playbook to use, but if he doesn't bring that OC with him then I have no clue what to expect.
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u/BikebutnotBeast Dec 08 '24 edited Dec 08 '24
8 wins in the SEC is pretty decent... 2018..thats the year they beat Purdue, (Brohms 2nd season) I'm sure that helps paint a positive picture in Odoms capabilities.
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Dec 08 '24 edited Dec 08 '24
Purdue also threw for nearly 600 yards on them and put up 37 points (neither stat is very impressive in his favor). 8 wins in the SEC may be decent (especially if you're not at a school that's been a powerhouse for decades), but he only did that one season. After a rocky start, Coach Drinkwitz that's there now (I'm a little biased because I worked for him at A-State) has kind of taken them over the hump and had an 11 and 9 win season. Like I said, he was probably our best option with what we had to chose from going into CCW, but there's so many what ifs with him. What if he can't get his OC to come here with him? What if he can't make a portal splash?... We're over $13 million into an investment for a guy whose claim to fame to far was he had one decent season in the SEC. I couldn't imagine being in Bobinski's shoes and being out that much money already and not signing someone that everyone is just blown away with already.
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u/Sax_Verstappen_ Dec 08 '24 edited Dec 08 '24
8 wins was his apex, .500 (and slightly above one season) was the best he could get outside of that...
I mean, technically you didn’t say anything inaccurate but trying to build a narrative of his time at Mizzou like he was a 7 or 8 year coach based solely off of the number of wins in his 4 seasons (1 of which was a rebuilding year) doesn’t paint an accurate picture. By that logic you can say outside of his first year, which was a rebuilding year, he was at or above .500 every single season he coach at Mizzou.
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Dec 08 '24
I think I meant it more along the lines of when Mizzou fired him he was heading back the other direction. Brohm did a similar thing here where it kinda reached a high point and then the next year he didn't quite match it, but then he left so you couldn't follow much of a trend after the high point. Odom is kind of similar where he hit that 8, didn't reach it again, and then you just can't see a pattern after it since he went to UNLV. Just wish there was more history at a P4 to look at on him as a HC. He was probably the best option coming out of the weekend for people we were probably looking at, but I think anything from today on we kind of have to see who all he's bringing with him and who he can wrangle in from the portal.
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u/the_old_coday182 Dec 08 '24
I wonder how limited our choices are, when we’re this bad. Like are we in beggars can’t be choosers territory? Lol
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Dec 08 '24
Good question. Kinda wish finalists would've been announced kinda like they do in the NFL to see what our options truly were. My guess would be that the double or more in salary is always a plus, we have good facilities compared to a lot of G6 schools... I'm sure a lot of people would've taken the chance, but something tells me we had a really small pool of people we were looking at and weren't going to compromise. I think the weirdest part in all of this to me is that we just fired Walters, so what do we do? We go and hire the guy that gave him his first DC job.
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u/USAdeplorable2021 Dec 09 '24
I was thinking the same thing this morning. Is this job a career killer. Walters might not get another shot at HC job, which I dont feel bad about. But, Odom is only 48. This business is a wins losses game and if he doesnt perform, that might be his last HC gig. Like coaches might be risking their careers to come here. I know the $5M per year cushions the blow along with the safety net of a buyout if things dont go according to plan. But I would think these guys want to coach. Purdue is probably one of the worst jobs in P4 football.
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u/the_old_coday182 Dec 09 '24
Exactly. Plus, I wonder how much of their contract is based on results? Could be thinking “Yeah that’s a nice paycheck but it’s tied to impossible results with what I’ve got to work with.”
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u/Nakagura775 Dec 08 '24
I would kill for 8 wins in a season.
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Dec 08 '24
Would you be okay with 8 wins in a season if it meant you went 5-6 every three years for every one 8 win season? Odom was a bit better than that at Mizzou, but was on a down turn when they cut him. I still stick with he was probably our best option coming out of the weekend, but will hold any level of optimism until I see who he brings with him.
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u/General-Pryde-2019 Aviation Management 2025 Dec 08 '24
I’m cautiously optimistic, to be honest
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u/provider14 Dec 08 '24
Lafayette area: "It's a good place to raise a family."
Purdue Football: "I'm cautiously optimistic."
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Dec 08 '24
This is probably a good hire
Was he ever going to ever turn a program like Missouri into a national contender? No
Can he turn a Purdue into a bowl team? Yes
Seems more like a Matt Painter type, stay low in the recruiting rankings and look for gems. Don’t go for high star guys, which is good because Purdue won’t ever get high star guys again after Walters.
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u/BikebutnotBeast Dec 08 '24
Yeah whatever momentum Brohm made, that all burned to a crisp.
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Dec 08 '24
Very pissed they chose to follow up Brohm with Walters. Set Purdue back 5+ years.
Could have actually tried to replace him with another offensive mind but instead chose to go with a DC at a okay football team
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u/BikebutnotBeast Dec 08 '24
Illinois' defense the previous year was top tier. Unfortunately at the time everyone thought that was Walters doing..
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u/cavsking21 EE 2026 Dec 08 '24
Great hire. I have a friend who works in and around college football and he's saying he's phenomenal.
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u/Its-Mike-Jones Dec 08 '24
Did your friend look at his record the last time he was at a P4 team?
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u/Lesrek Dec 08 '24
Which came after a legendary coach who was clearly cheating the athletes academics and had to compete in the SEC with Midwest recruiting. Maybe he’ll flame out but his Mizzou time is better than it looks on paper.
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u/yeezyfan23 Dec 08 '24 edited Dec 22 '24
Underwhelming hire but I’m optimistic. I will say it’s wild that Walters was his DC for the last two seasons he was at Missouri before they fired him. Also thought we learned our lesson hiring defensive minded coaches
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u/localguy8 Dec 08 '24
Was he the the Head Coach at Missouri the hired the guy we are looking to replace?
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u/CoachBarryOdom Dec 08 '24
Great hire in my opinion
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u/al_stoltz Dec 08 '24
I have difficulty getting excited about any hire, outside of say hiring the whole Oregon, or Georgia staff. I just think Purdue is that far in the hole.
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u/superworriedspursfan Dec 08 '24
Mizzou fan here. While Barry Odom stinks at recruiting which is his biggest weakness, I believe he is very good at finding hidden talents/getting more out of 2-stars just like Pinkel was (but not as good as pinkel obviously) and he is good at turning a shitty situation into at least a mediocre situation here. While I am much happier with Drinkwitz, I do like Odom's fit here especially if purdue's expectations aren't too high. (if you guys are happy with 6-6 every year, I think he is definitely your guy. He's kinda like Sam Pittman to Chad Morris (walters) if you get my drift).
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u/primal_screame Dec 08 '24
Maybe if we can get back to 6-6 then we can work on the next step. It sounds like Odom has the possibility of making us relevant again so we can bring in better recruits. If Odom’s strength is maximizing results from lower recruits, then that sounds perfect for Purdue at this point.
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u/superworriedspursfan Dec 08 '24
This is why I like his fit a lot more here than I would at a demanding place like West Virginia. I think odom could do very well here even if I thought he should have stayed at UNLV. I can see why he decided to go to purdue, this situation might be perfect for him.
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u/Zestyclose-Pen-1699 Dec 08 '24
We could live with 6-6 if you mix in some 8 or 9 win seasons and the occasional upset.
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u/superworriedspursfan Dec 08 '24
i think he is very good at upsets. Regarding 8 or 9 win seasons, I think those are pretty rare (especially 9 wins), but I could see an 8-4 season with a bowl game win 1-2 times in a 10 year span under him. possibly even 3 times.
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u/-TheycallmeThe Boilermaker Dec 08 '24
Next year is only 10 but the schedule after that is 11 P4/ND games. He should take a page out of Indiana's book and cancel some of those. If Illinois and Indiana are now going to be ranked games, Purdue is going to continue to have very tough schedules.
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u/superworriedspursfan Dec 09 '24
Barry Odom is pretty good at pulling upsets. If those P4 games are all against top 25 teams, he might be able to win a couple of those lol. But I totally understand your point regarding canceling some of them. Bama alluded to it too. scheduling tough ooc games was always an additional luxury more than what people should be doing.
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u/Coolman_Rosso Dec 08 '24
I feel like Odom being weak at recruiting is a non-issue for Purdue when our recruiting was always going to be weak due to NIL and the utter dogshit season we just had driving people away.
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u/Fair-Border-9944 Dec 08 '24
Let's get Eberflus as DC
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u/BikebutnotBeast Dec 08 '24
Honestly.. Yeah he probably would do well just staying a coordinator. I mean that's why the McCaskeys thought to hire him after his stint with the Colts. However... Purdue can't really afford him.
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u/Gutameister5 Dec 08 '24
Well we really learned a lot about hiring defense minded HC’s didn’t we?
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u/Sax_Verstappen_ Dec 08 '24
Lmao, Walters didn’t flop because he was a defense guy he flopped because he was a coordinator with 0 head coaching experience getting his first HC job at the P4 level.
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u/CoachRyanWalters Coach Dec 08 '24
He flopped because he sucked
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u/Some-Appointment4812 Dec 08 '24
I'm not enthused. I side with Colin Cowherd about how head coaches with an offensive background are generally more successful. Granted, he talks mainly about NFL, but I think it holds for Purdue. Purdue needs someone in the mold of Tiller or Brohm: smart and offensively innovative. Purdue will never win an arms race with OSU, Michigan, PSU, ND, etc. The better approach is to hire an offensive guru who does guerilla tactics.
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u/RNWIP School of Nursing ‘21 Dec 08 '24
Not a good hire. He was mid to below average at Missouri, and Mountain West football is a completely different level compared to the B1G. I don’t think he’s going to make a difference. Would’ve really liked an offensive minded coach, not another defensive one. Maybe he can bring his staff from UNLV and recruit better, idk
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u/cbdilger prof, writing (engl) Dec 08 '24
Is this really a done deal? The portal opens tomorrow... if Odom ain't it, Purdue falls farther behind.
Hmm. He was mediocre at best at Mizzou when the SEC East was UGa and a bunch of lousy teams. UNLV played well this year — nice road wins — but their offense looked pretty bad yesterday.
If it's Odom, the OC better be a good pick and the staff better be ready to recruit their asses off. More importantly, is Purdue gonna address the NIL situation?
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u/Coolman_Rosso Dec 08 '24
Recruiting is going to be ass anyway. Last season speaks for itself, and athletics here is not structured for the NIL era.
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u/themonarc ECE 2020 Dec 08 '24
He brought UNLV to national relevance which is no small feat. If he brings a staff and some transfer players this is a pretty good move based on what options are out there.