Purdue hires Odom after winless Big Ten year

UNLV football coach Barry Odom has been hired for the head-coaching job at Purdue, the school announced Sunday.

At UNLV, Odom went 19-8 in two seasons and led the Rebels to back-to-back Mountain West championship game appearances. UNLV (10-3) lost 21-7 to Boise State in Friday night’s MWC title game.

Odom, who also coached for four seasons at Missouri, had been a sought-after candidate with his recent success and coaching résumé.

He replaces Ryan Walters, who went 5-19 over two seasons at Purdue and was fired after a season-ending 11-game losing streak.

Odom emerged as a top candidate in this cycle after authoring road wins over Houston and Kansas early in the season. UNLV continued to thrive after the sudden departure of quarterback Matthew Sluka, who transferred after the Rebels’ 3-0 start.

Odom brings a defensive background, as he was a star linebacker at Missouri and has worked as the defensive coordinator at Memphis, Missouri and Arkansas.