Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Former Arkansas coordinator Barry Odom named new coach for UNLV football

Barry Odom

Michael Woods / AP

Missouri coach Barry Odom against Arkansas during an NCAA college football game, Friday, Nov. 29, 2019 in Little Rock, Ark.

Barry Odom has been named the new head football coach at UNLV.

The school announced the hiring on Tuesday following a search that lasted eight days.

Odom, 46, served as the defensive coordinator at Arkansas for the past three years.

Prior to his stint at Arkansas, Odom was the head coach at Missouri from 2016-19 and posted a 25-25 record. The Tigers went 4-8 in his first year at the helm, then 7-6 in his second year and 8-5 the following season, both of which ended with bowl appearances. He was fired after going 6-6 in 2019.

Odom was a candidate on the coaching carousel this offseason and was rumored to be close to accepting the head coaching position at Tulsa, but UNLV ultimately secured his services.

Financial terms with UNLV have not been announced, but Odom signed a contract extension with Arkansas before the 2022 season that increased his salary to $1.85 million per year.

At the news conference after coach Marcus Arroyo’s firing, UNLV athletic director Erick Harper said he wanted the next hire to have experience as a head coach, and Odom fits the bill.

“We could not be more excited to welcome Barry Odom and his family to UNLV,” Harper said in a statement. “We had a tremendous amount of interest in this head coaching position and coach Odom checked every box, including having experience successfully leading a program at the highest level of this sport.”

Under Odom’s direction, Arkansas ranked No. 81 in scoring defense in 2022, allowing 28.9 points per game. The Razorbacks were 22nd in the nation in sack rate, dropping opposing quarterbacks on an impressive 8.2% of pass plays.

Odom will have his work cut out for him at UNLV. The Scarlet and Gray haven’t been to a bowl game since 2013, and the program has racked up an overall record of 29-74 in the intervening years.

Arroyo was fired on Nov. 28 after three years on the job. UNLV went 7-23 under Arroyo, including an 0-6 mark in the shortened 2020 campaign. Arroyo lost his first 14 games and went 5-17 in the Mountain West.

On Monday, junior receiver Kyle Williams and junior cornerback Nohl Williams entered the transfer portal. Kyle Williams caught 40 passes for 541 yards and a team-best five touchdowns in 2022, while Nohl Williams intercepted three passes, tied for the team high.

Keeping the current roster intact will be a priority for Odom, who met with the players on Tuesday afternoon.

"I’m honored and excited to begin developing a relationship with our student-athletes and provide them a great foundation for success in every area of their lives," Odom said via a statement.

Odom's introductory press conference is set for Wednesday morning.

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.

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