Updating Barry Odom's staff at Mizzou: What's it looking like?
New Missouri football coach Barry Odom is still putting together his staff of assistants, and some positions — including his offensive and defensive coordinator — are up for grabs.
Josh Henson, the Tigers’ offensive coordinator the last three seasons, and offensive line coach A.J. Ricker won’t be back. Other Gary Pinkel assistants who are also not expected to return include defensive line coach Craig Kuligowski, receivers coach Pat Washington and tailbacks coach Brian Jones.
There are reports that former Utah State and Oklahoma offensive coordinator Josh Heupel will replace Henson as offensive coordinator. Before spending this year the Aggies, Heupel, 37, was fired by Oklahoma after the 2014 season. Meanwhile, Lincoln Riley, Heupel’s replacement at Oklahoma, has helped the Sooners clinch a spot in this year’s College Football Playoff.
Under Heupel, Utah State finished fifth in the Mountain West in scoring this season, averaging 29.7 points per game. Missouri, meanwhile, ended up 127th — out of 128 teams — this year in scoring, averaging just 13.6 points a contest.
Missouri officials, however, have neither confirmed nor denied the Heupel reports.
Elsewhere, according to the Kansas City Star, Odom will retain cornerbacks coach Cornell Ford, who is Missouri’s lead recruiter in St. Louis and who came with Pinkel from Toledo 14 years ago.
He also will keep quarterbacks coach Andy Hill, who recruits Kansas City. In addition, the same report indicates that safeties coach Ryan Walters, who followed Odom to Mizzou from Memphis, is also likely certain to come back.
However, Hill, who has spent nearly two decades with Missouri, has reportedly emerged as the frontrunner for the head coaching job at Montana State. Meanwhile, Pat Ivey, Missouri’s head strength and conditioning coach and the Tigers’ associate athletic director for athletic performance, has confirmed that he will be retained by Odom.
Odom, 39, who had served as Missouri’s defensive coordinator the past four seasons, has not indicated if he wants to stay in that role. With Derek Mason serving as Vanderbilt’s head coach and defensive coordinator this season, the Commodores improved noticeably on that side of the ball.