Barry Odom Bringing Championship Mentality to Purdue
Barry Odom has a vision and he's not afraid to talk about it. When it comes to his goals and expectations at Purdue, he has his sights set on winning at a championship level.
The word "championship" is one that Odom kept using during his introductory press conference on Tuesday. It's clear that he believes Purdue is in a strong position to compete at a high level in the Big Ten and can earn its way into the College Football Playoff conversation.
Even at Purdue, he believes it's possible to achieve that level of success, and the process to create a pathway to Lucas Oil Stadium for the Big Ten Championship Game starts now.
"Ultimately, we want to be playing in Indianapolis and then we want to be in position to have a seat at the table. That's the ultimate," Odom said. "That's what we're working for, that's our vision, that's my mindset, and every decision that I make, that our team makes ... will pour into that. I don't want to put any restraints or self-restrictions on us because of anything that's happened here before we started today."
There was very little mention of a "rebuild." Odom didn't preach patience to a hungry fanbase. That's a refreshing mindset in West Lafayette, especially after a 1-11 year.
"(Purdue athletic director Mike Bobinski's) Leadership and vision is aligned with mine," Odom said. "Together, we're going to build a championship team and it's going to happen very, very quickly."
One of the biggest reasons why Odom believes he can have quick success at Purdue is because of the traditional values of the football program line up with his vision. He wants to build a tough program — one that prioritizes hard work and discipline.
"Historically, the culture here would be a very descriptive word of the things I believe in: A blue-collar, hard-nosed, tough, disciplined brand of football," Odom said. "You've got such opportunity now in the world of college football on bringing guys into the program, but once they get here, then it's Purdue and our way."
Odom has proven he can turn a program into a winner almost instantly. He guided UNLV to a 9-5 season in 2023, reaching the Mountain West Championship Game in his first season as the coach. This year, the Rebels were 10-3 and, once again, competed for a Mountain West title.
Having that kind of instant success in the Big Ten is much tougher. But Odom is dedicated to making it work and believes Purdue has the resources to field a championship-caliber team.
"When this job came open, I had always looked at it as one of the elite jobs in college football," Odom said. "The culture that is here and that is built, I am excited to take over and continue to grow to the next level and the next stage."
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CONTRACT DETAILS FOR BARRY ODOM: Details regarding Barry Odom's contract at Purdue have been released. The new football coach has agreed to a six-year, $39 million contract with the Boilers. CLICK HERE
ODOM MEETS WITH TEAM: New Purdue football coach Barry Odom met with his players for the first time on Monday. The Boilermakers shared a clip from that interaction. CLICK HERE
ODOM RELEASES STATEMENT: On Sunday, Barry Odom was named the next football coach at Purdue. Shortly after, the new leader of the Boilermakers released a statement. CLICK HERE
