Purdue has hired UNLV's Barry Odom, sources confirmed to CBS Sports' Brandon Marcello. Odom led the Rebels to 19 wins over the past two seasons, the most in program history.
UNLV's 2024 season was a magical one for the program as the Rebels won 10 games for the first time since 1984. The program shocked Houston and Kansas on the road and took nine-win Syracuse to the wire. The only losses in conference play both came to Boise State, which is expected to earn a bye in the College Football Playoff. UNLV lost 21-7 to the Broncos in the Mountain West Championship Game on Friday night.
Odom is taking his defensive background to West Lafayette, Indiana, to try and recover a program that tanked under previous coach Ryan Walters. The Boilermakers went 1-11 in 2024 and winless against FBS competition. In those games, Purdue was outscored by more than 30 points per game. The program played for a Big Ten championship as recently as 2022.
Odom is a strong defensive coach who coordinated defenses at Memphis, Missouri and Arkansas. Despite playing Heisman contender Ashton Jeanty twice, the Rebels ranked No. 17 nationally in rushing defense. The program also ranked top 15 in scoring offense behind offensive coordinator Brennan Marion's unique Go Go Offense. However, Marion has been linked to other opportunities, so Odom might have to find a new innovative offensive coordinator.
In addition to his tenure at UNLV, Odom was coach at Missouri, his alma mater. He was promoted to head coach from defensive coordinator after Gary Pinkel retired due to health issues. Odom helped guide the program through NCAA issues related to academics. He led the program to a 25-25 record, including 21-17 over his final three seasons.
