Odom Q&A: Talking coaching staff, portal, quarterbacks, Purdue appeal, recruiting and more

New Purdue coach Barry Odom has been a man in motion since being introduced as the Boilermakers’ new boss on December 10.

There’s a staff to hire, off-field personnel to bring on board and recruiting to be done as he tries to flip a losing script in West Lafayette.

Amidst the hurly-burly, Odom sat down with GoldandBlack.com on Wednesday, December 18 to discuss a number of topics.

GoldandBlack.com: How is assembling the coaching staff progressing?

Odom: I knew that we would be able to attract, in my belief, a very strong, elite coaching staff, and that has held very, very true on the guys that we’ve had an opportunity to visit with, to interview, to Zoom, to find a way to make a connection.

Most all of them are still competing in postseason play. So, it’s been a little bit longer on some of the announcements on how we can do that, because there’s so many different ways that you have to communicate, lining up with where they are, the time zones, the time around their schedules. But we’ve got a staff put together that’s really, really strong in every single area. We’re really close to getting all 10 full-time assistants hired, signed on, and feel really strong about that staff, about that group.

And then you move around the organization, on all the different moving parts, from support staff, to all the things with that. And that’s what I’ve spent most of my time on, along with recruiting and hopefully retention of some players here in the last few days.

But, really excited because there are so many people that want to be here across the country, and I feel strong about the group that we put together, starting with the coordinators and then down every position group. It’ll be a great staff that will represent Purdue in a great way, and we’re going to coach winning football that’ll get us back into the winner’s circle really quickly.

GoldandBlack.com: How many of those staffers do you think will be on campus by Thursday or Friday?

Odom: Out of the 10 assistant coaches, I think we’ll have at least five to six here. I think we’re close to getting that done.

GoldandBlack.com: How much will you emphasize the portal in building the 2025 roster, and where are you in the process?

Odom: I think recruiting is something that obviously will build the foundation of this program moving forward, through high school recruiting, through junior college, four-year transfers, on what that looks like.

The roster management piece over the last couple years has become something that is ever-changing on the abilities for players to come and go. So, the calendar is aligned with that. Now is the open time for some of those transfers to take place. There’s going to be another round of guys enter the portal after bowl games are over, and I think a number of guys are waiting to see who’s hired from an assistant coaching standpoint, which is important, the informed decisions that the guys need to make.

We’re starting with official visits today. We got some kids coming in, and that’ll go through the weekend. Would suspect that we’ll have some commitments come out of that.

But I think the ability for us to be a winning program is going to start in high school recruiting. That’s not going to change. And I think the things that we were able to do at my last stop, and in really two recruiting cycles, we signed over 60 high school players, and that builds the foundation of your program.

We also were very select and direct in the portal world on what that looked like, and attracted some high level players that I had experiences with before either recruiting or coaching. We had five All-Americans the last two years at UNLV. Four of those five were transfers. They came into our program.

So, we will live in both worlds, will be very, very aggressive in how we recruit our state and surrounding areas from a high school standpoint. I want guys and high school coaches to know if they send a student-athlete to Purdue that they’re going to have great coaching, they’re going to get a degree that’s very, very meaningful, and we’re going to compete and win championships. And there is an open invitation for all the high school coaches to come see us, be around us, I want them to feel invested in our program.

Also, it’s about relationships. Yes, it’s about NIL and rev share. It’s about all-encompassing with that. But, at the end of the day, the relationship piece, when people have either (been) coached before (by us), had a chance to develop a relationship with them through recruiting or coaching, we stand a strong chance to get a number of guys to come here and finish out their career, whether it’s one season or multiple. Excited about how we will change the roster.

The first year that we were at UNLV, we had 55 new players. That was just the way of how we transformed the roster, and I didn’t ever think we would get close to that number again. But then the next year, we had 50 new players. So, how can you galvanize those guys together? How can you form that what you think is best for your current place? And we’ll be really, really aggressive in that.

And I know everybody wants to see what that’s going to look like. It’s going to take a little bit of time, because I want to get the right guys in here, and also want the guys that are here on the current roster, I want them to stay. And we’re going to lose some, we’re going to keep some, and unfortunately or fortunately, that’s the way of where we’re at in college football right now.

GoldandBlack.com: Are you going to get one or two quarterbacks out of the portal?

Odom: I think if you look at how we’re going to build the roster, number one, I like the quarterbacks that are here currently, so we’re trying to keep those guys. But then also, I think if you don’t have two to three quarterbacks on your roster that can play winning football, it makes it really, really hard.

So, we’re looking at all positions. And I think it would be wise for us to look at all areas, from high school to junior college to four-year transfers, at every single position, and quarterback is certainly one of those.

GoldandBlack.com: How do you manage the chaos of taking over a program?

Odom: Well, we got really strong conviction on what the program is going to look like, how we’re going to get there, the process of what is right and how you build it. You’ve got to surround yourself with really, really good people. And I know who’s coming in here in the different roles. I’m excited about that. I know that they’re thrilled to be representing Purdue. And so once we get those guys here, and what that looks like, the players are going to follow the ones that are here and the ones that we’re going to bring here.

So, I know the vision of what it looks like. And I’m not saying it arrogantly. I’m confident in what we’re going to do. And I know that the foundation, once we get started January 13 with our team, whatever that looks like, we’re going to build it the right way. And I’m excited about getting into our winter conditioning program. I’m excited to get into our winning edge program. I’m excited to get into spring practice and what that looks like, the development of the team. And then there’s another window of how you add players to your program in another portal window in the spring. And then you get into summer ball and everything.

Everyone in the building is going to have a very distinct and clear-cut job description. They understand that we’ve got a tremendous responsibility to get this flipped and turn it into a winning program, and I’m excited to get everybody here.

GoldandBlack.com: What will be the role of the General Manager, and when will that person get here?

Odom: Every organization is different on what they have the general manager do, it’s such a new term in college football.

Ours will be on campus within the next 48 hours. He is well-versed in the world of what that looks like. He’s been at a couple different spots and has raised their program in the world of NIL in retention and roster management. So, he’ll have a piece in that, a big part of what we look like, at least structure-wise, with that.

But also there’s some things because of his familiarity with this area, he’s going to be really big in our recruiting process. He’s going to do a great job on helping evaluate the market of transfers and then high school recruiting, on what that looks like for us.

So, the umbrella that he will live under, with an assistant that he has, will put a lot on him. But it’s so important in how we’re going to design this program, on their roles and what that looks like, not only, being aggressive in that world, but also the ability to navigate the roster management piece and making sure that we’re on the forefront of the ever-changing rules that that we are living by.

GoldandBlack.com: Why was Purdue high on your radar when that opportunity came about?

Odom: From really the end of the year, when there started to be maybe some change going to happen, I just … the first conversation that Mike and I had … I knew about Purdue, obviously, the storied history, a little more familiar with it because of geographic location and where I’d been before, the familiarity with the fan base, because we played here when I was the head coach at Missouri, and then in the Big Ten conference, immediately was attracted to the position.

And then when Mike and I had our initial conversation, then my level of excitement grew exponentially because of his passion and vision and how important that is for me to partner with him to get this where we need to be.

So, after the first call, it was a couple days, as we were finishing up having an opportunity to continue to compete with my current team. So, the initial call was, ‘Would you be interested?’ And I said, ‘Yes.’ And then we worked through what the timing looked like from there. And, respectfully, Purdue handled it wonderfully, because I couldn’t talk to them and then do the job I needed to finish the season going into the championship.

So, they waited until we were done. And then I was very thankful for that. And then after our championship game, then it was really heavy in discussions. We played on a Friday night. So, all day, that Saturday was really, really busy on seeing how things align. Was it going to work on both sides? And I was really excited about the process, the way that Mike went about it, and he’s a great leader. And I feel the responsibility to get this program right for him. And been excited now for a week to be able to work with him.

And I think every way that you turn. the people that make up Purdue University and the people that I’ve had a chance to work with, the alignment is there. They’re strong in their belief on what our university is, where our athletic department is, and where our football team needs to go.

GoldandBlack.com: Is Purdue adequately staffed and set up with its recruiting department?

Odom: Every staff is different in the makeup. You go to a certain college and you look online how their staff makeup is. There’s a lot of things in there, you’re like, ‘I wonder what that role is, or that position?’

I think they’ve given every opportunity for us to build it the way that we see necessary to compete, not only in the Big Ten, but nationally. The administration has done absolutely everything to give us those things that we need.

So, there’s been a lot of restructure done in the last week that will continue to happen, and as we add pieces and maybe look at job descriptions on what someone in the organization did, and maybe how we can tweak some of those things that will make us run efficiently and in the way that I think our program should be.

GoldandBlack.com: When you met with players, what message did you hear?

Odom: We had a team meeting, and then set up individual meetings with everybody that was still in town. Some of those guys had already left because their finals were over and they had already gone back home. So, I didn’t face-to-face, I didn’t have an opportunity to meet with each individual player in the office, but certainly have connected with in some way or fashion.

The overriding term was they were hungry for an opportunity to get back to winning ways and what that looked like. And more than anything, there’s always reasons that you either have success or you don’t. And not to dive into a lot of what the reasons we didn’t last year here, I don’t know. I want the guys that choose to stay here and what we do as a staff, I want to be judged on what we do from the day I got the job until our first game, and then let’s judge the win-loss record after that. Nothing before we got here even really registers or matters, honestly. And I say that very respectfully. I didn’t earn that, good or bad. I didn’t earn it. What we have is from the day we’ve started, how we’re going to move this thing forward.

GoldandBlack.com: How have you grown as a head coach since you led Missouri (2016-19)?

Odom: Well, I do know I’m a heck of a lot better coach today than I was last year at this time, and light years ahead of where I was when I got the job at Missouri in 2016.

I think we all learn from experience in all walks of life. And there were some things that we did really, really well at Mizzou. There were some things that you look at now, I was like, ‘Man, I could change some of those things up, and it would be better.’

Three out of four years, we qualified for bowl postseason play there. Got fired after going 6-6, we came up short. So, the thing you do, you get up, you dust yourself off, you look in the mirror, you’re able to evaluate what you did well, what you need to change, and then you evolve and you find answers.

There’s solutions and answers everywhere, if you’re willing enough to be vulnerable, find what’s best for that team, and then go implement them. I think I’ve learned every step of the way, every stop of the way, and taking something from every program I’ve been in.

This team that we create here will be so much different than the team I coached last year. Every team is different, but I do believe in the way that we practice, our structure, that’s evolved for me over the years. I think we’re very, very efficient.

Think everybody in the program is going to get equal amount of reps. You look at the opportunity to build teams that way, some of the philosophies that I had in recruiting, and what I know now on how to do things have changed dramatically for me, on the structure of what that looks like, on building a recruiting department, and how involved I need to be as the head coach. And also in the way of college football with NIL and revenue share. That stuff didn’t exist when I was there. So, we transformed the last place I was with some of those ways.

But also foundationally, it’s down to getting guys that fit the things that you want culturally in your program. You’ve got an opportunity to build something here with guys that align with the things that I believe in. You gotta like ball. You gotta like the process. The habits are going to end up defining and be exposed on game day and how we build that is a lot of fun for me.

Also look at the chance to surround yourself with really good coaches, and how important that is for an offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, special teams coordinator, because there were times learning at Mizzou, and some of the things that I was trying to do a lot of things, trying to be the head coach. It was also the defensive coordinator some at times.

You just learn by experience. And I think, more than anything, surrounding yourself with really, really good people that can thrive in my job, to build them up as the head coach in their roles. I’ve got a little different perspective on that now than I did then.

GoldandBlack.com: Is there a place for the Boilermaker Alliance in the revenue sharing world?

Odom: Absolutely. I think you look at the opportunities for that area specifically to continue to help this program. I think it’s in how does that coexist? I think it’s going to be hugely important for the success for the athletic department. It’s different. It’s a different way of thinking on what the traditional method has been for years and years and years now. But also, there are ways to transform and change the experience for student-athletes.

And it’s so important that we have the involvement of all those that care about Purdue. And there’ll be some transition time on really what that looks like and, collectively, together with our athletic department, on how we’re putting that together.

There are so many alumni, so many supporters at Purdue. That’s another reason that I really wanted this job because I think it’s an elite job in all of college sport.

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