Mississippi State reportedly hiring News Mexico State's Cliff Odom as special teams coach
New Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby has filled a key role on his staff, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, bringing in New Mexico State defensive backs coach Cliff Odom as the Bulldogs’ special teams coordinator. He spent the past two seasons coaching for the Aggies.
Odom, along with coaching defensive backs for New Mexico State, has also coached at UCF and Eastern Illinois. He’s been a graduate assistant at Missouri and TCU, as well.
He also played defensive back at Baylor, graduating in 2011.
He’s also the son of longtime NFL defender Cliff Odom Sr., who played 13 years of professional football.
Odom joins a growing staff under Lebby
The Bulldogs officially announced the hiring of former Alabama assistant Coleman Hutzler as defensive coordinator on Friday.
Hutzler is a longtime SEC assistant, having coached at a number of stops prior to the Crimson Tide. He’s also been nominated for the Broyles Award, given annually to the nation’s top assistant coach.
“Coach Hutzler has helped lead many of the most successful programs in the nation and developed players who not only reached the NFL but excelled there and had outstanding careers,” Lebby said in a release announcing the hire. “Put simply, he knows exactly what winning football looks like, and he’s gotten the most out of his players at every one of his stops. Coach Hutzler demands a toughness and intensity from his players, and we’re thrilled to add his drive and expertise to our staff.”
Hutzler coached special teams and outside linebackers at Alabama, spending two seasons on staff in Tuscaloosa. Prior to that, he worked at Ole Miss, Texas, South Carolina, Boston College, Florida and a handful of other stops, coaching mostly special teams and linebackers.
During his stint at Texas, Hutzler was a co-defensive coordinator. His defense ranked in the top No. 9 in the FBS in fourth down conversion defense (.333) and Longhorn junior Joseph Ossai earned consensus All-America honors under Hutzler’s guidance, per his bio from Alabama football.
Ossai ranked No. 14 in the country with 16 tackles for loss while registering 55 total stops and led the Big 12 in forced fumbles with three.
Lebby comes over from Oklahoma before taking over for the Rebels. He served as the offensive coordinator under Brent Venables in Norman.
“Being the head coach at Mississippi State is the opportunity of a lifetime,” Lebby said in a statement. “My family and I are fired up to engrain ourselves in this community, build relationships with our players, and hit the recruiting trail. This is a special place with special people and a football program with a storied tradition.”