Former Missouri Tigers coach Barry Odom has a new home _ and it's somewhere Mizzou fans know well.
On the Paul Finebaum Show, Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said Odom was driving down to Fayetteville to join his staff. FootballScoop originally reported Odom was set to become Pittman's defensive coordinator.
It's official now, according to Pittman.
"I am ecstatic," Pittman said. "I felt like I needed a guy on my staff that had been a head coach. One that I could lean on and talk to. There's really not a better person out there and finer coach, finer man than Barry Odom. I'm just blessed he's in his car coming down here."
The former Mizzou coach was speculated to be in consideration for the Memphis job after Mike Norvell left for Florida State. However, Memphis promoted interim coach Ryan Silverfield, as first reported by the Daily Memphian.
Odom spent three years as defensive coordinator at Memphis from 2012-14 before returning to Mizzou in 2015 under former coach Gary Pinkel. Odom was promoted to head coach prior to the 2016 season. He coached at Mizzou for four seasons, going 25-25.
Odom's last game as Mizzou's coach was a 24-14 victory over Arkansas on Black Friday, improving his record to 6-6 in 2019. He faced Arkansas interim coach Barry Lunney Jr. at the time. The victory wasn't enough to save Odom's job as he was fired the next day by Mizzou athletic director Jim Sterk.
Pittman hiring Odom should add another layer to the Battle Line Rivalry, where Mizzou is 5-1 vs. Arkansas since joining the SEC and 8-3 all time. The Tigers play Arkansas at Arrowhead Stadium on Nov. 28, 2020, though that date could move up a day as it has every year since 2014. Pittman also has some Missouri ties as the offensive line coach in 2000 under Larry Smith.
Missouri hired Eliah Drinkwitz to replace Odom. Drinkwitz has Arkansas connections as he graduated from Arkansas Tech and spent two years at Arkansas State. Drinkwitz was also in the mix for the Arkansas job before a whirlwind few days landed him in Columbia.
