Sam Pittman says he’s committed to doing whatever he can to keep Barry Odom at Arkansas
By Keith Farner
Published:
Arkansas defensive coordinator Barry Odom has quickly become one of the hot names among assistant coaches this season as he’s led a remarkable turnaround. The Razorback defense, which has 13 turnovers to lead the SEC, has been at the forefront of the Razorbacks surprising start.
Arkansas fans, and some radio hosts, wonder if other schools will come calling for Odom. That was the question posed to coach Sam Pittman during a recent segment on 103.7 The Buzz. So how can Pittman keep Odom on staff?
“He has a group of guys over there with him that are certainly good as well,” Pittman said. “Barry’s a special guy and I’ve known that for a long time, 20 years. We’ll do our best. There’s different ways to keep a man. I think he’s happy here, I think his family’s happy here. Obviously if he gets a big-time head coaching job, I’d be ecstatic for him and happy for him but if he doesn’t or doesn’t get the job that he wants, there’s ways to keep a man happy.”
Pittman also shared how he viewed the job and program coming in when it had the perception of a loser for so many years.
“I hired coaches that believed like I did and two, I truly believed that we can win and I honestly, even more than that, I believed that we should,” Pittman said. “I truly believe that we’re the great university in the country and we should be that way on the field. If the coach is honest with you and he’s hard working and loves you and cares about you, you believe basically what he believes. I believe what I just said and I believe our kids believe that as well.”
The Razorbacks return to action this week at Texas A&M in a game set to kickoff at 6:30 p.m. local time on the SEC Network.
ICYMI: @CoachSamPittman was on the SWNN on @1037thebuzz and acknowledged that he is going to do whatever it takes to keep Barry Odom at Arkansas!https://t.co/F8Ejh97RNW pic.twitter.com/PhgeAQQ4Mk
— RJ Hawk (@RJHawk) October 27, 2020
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
