Purdue’s new head coach is strictly a head coach and finds talent where other coaches bother looking.
Originally, my plan was to break down UNLV’s offense and defense after Purdue announced Barry Odom as their new head coach. The problem is, Barry Odom doesn’t necessarily have an offense or defense—at least not one tied to his name. His assistant coaches run the offense and defense, but Odom isn’t committed to any particular system. That said, I’ll still break down the incoming offense and defense once we know who Odom is bringing in to run them.
Odom’s background is on the defensive side of the ball. His current defensive coordinator, Mike Scherer, followed him from Arkansas, where he coached linebackers, to UNLV, where he took on the role of defensive coordinator in addition to coaching linebackers. While Odom undoubtedly influenced Scherer’s development as a coach, Scherer doesn’t run “Odom’s system” (if that makes sense). If Scherer follows Odom to West Lafayette, he’ll run his own system for Purdue. If he doesn’t, Odom will hire someone else to run the defense, and they’ll bring their own system—albeit with input from Odom.
The same holds true on offense. Odom’s offensive coordinator at UNLV, Brennan Marion, is known for his “Go-Go offense.” If Marion joins Odom at Purdue, I’ll have plenty of plays to analyze over the coming months. The Go-Go offense is a blend of the triple option and spread offense, developed by Marion as a high school coach and successfully adapted to the college level. Again, this is Marion’s offense. If Marion becomes Purdue’s offensive coordinator next season, he’ll implement his system. If not, there’s no guarantee Odom hires someone to run the exact same offense. It’s a possibility, but the Go-Go offense is Marion’s creation, not Odom’s.
I appreciate that Odom isn’t tied to any particular system. For example, during his tenure as Missouri’s head coach in 2018, his offensive coordinator was former Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley, and his quarterback was Drew Lock. That season, Missouri ran a spread offense, and Lock completed 275 of 437 passes for 3,498 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions. Contrast that with UNLV’s 2024 season, where quarterbacks Hajj-Malik Williams and Matthew Sluka combined for 290 passing attempts. Clearly, Odom’s offense at Missouri isn’t the same as the one he ran at UNLV.
The same flexibility applies to his defense. You might recall Odom’s defensive coordinator from the 2018 Missouri team—Ryan Walters. While Walters was developing his five-man front and man-coverage defense (which ultimately earned him the Purdue head coaching job after a stop at Illinois), he didn’t use that defense at Missouri under Odom. Similarly, Odom’s UNLV defense in 2024 occasionally featured a five-man front but more commonly relied on either a straight three-man front or a three-man front with a stand-up defensive end. If you’re worried about Odom running Walters’ defense at Purdue, rest assured—it’s not happening (unless he hires Walters, which would be hilarious but highly unlikely).
What Purdue is getting in Barry Odom is a head coach. He’s the leader who identifies the right people to run the kind of program he envisions, then allows those coaches to do their jobs without micromanagement. This trust is why Odom continues to produce some of the hottest young names in coaching. He lets his coordinators thrive while he focuses on the bigger picture—no small feat in today’s demanding college football landscape.