Barry Odom staying with Razorbacks? Players hint at a return for popular DC
By Keith Farner
Published:
Arkansas defensive coordinator Barry Odom quickly became popular among the Razorbacks fan base starting when the Hogs knocked off Mississippi State as his eight-man coverage in the secondary stymied the Air Raid offense.
But since the regular season ended, Odom has been popular with other head coaches, and has been reportedly in the mix for open defensive coordinator jobs at LSU and Texas.
But according to tweets from Arkansas defenders, it appears that Odom is returning to Fayetteville.
Odom’s initial salary with Arkansas was reported to be $1.2 million, so if the reports are true, look for coach Sam Pittman to sweeten Odom’s compensation going forward as he gets set for another season at Arkansas.
After he was fired at Missouri, and before he joined Pittman’s staff at Arkansas, Odom was reportedly a candidate to take over the Memphis head coaching position.
In his last season with Missouri, Odom’s Tigers ended the 2019 regular season as one of the nation’s top defenses, ranking 14th in the country in total defense (312.0 ypg) and third in the SEC. The Razorbacks’ defense was 11th in the SEC in 2020.
Under Odom, the Razorbacks this past season allowed 34.9 points per game, an average of two better than in 2019.
Unfinished business…#Runitback🔂 pic.twitter.com/rn7CiRANOx
— Jalen Catalon (@jcatalon27) January 5, 2021
THEY THOUGHT 😂 #WPS
— Joe Foucha👽 (@Joe_Foucha) January 5, 2021
Looking back at the rumors like : 👀 Let’s Run It Back ✌🏽#WPS pic.twitter.com/Kmqvo3qYyz
— Jermaine Hamilton-Jordan (@_Jermaine36) January 5, 2021
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
