Purdue is targeting Barry Odom to be its next head football coach, a person with direct knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports on Sunday.
The deal is not finalized, but the parties are working toward an agreement, the person said.
Odom, 48, is 44-33 in six seasons as a head coach, including four at Missouri and the past two at UNLV. He led the Rebels to the Mountain West Conference championship game, where they lost to Boise State on Friday. Had UNLV won, it would have been in the running to reach the College Football Playoff.
Odom would replace Ryan Walters, who was fired Dec. 1 after going 5-19 in two seasons with the Boilermakers.
The push to jump-start the Purdue program comes during college football’s rapidly changing landscape, including the dawn of the first CFP bracket reveal Sunday. Indiana, Purdue’s longstanding rival, is expected to be in the bracket under first-year coach Curt Cignetti, despite being a longshot to reach this field before the season. And the chasm between the programs couldn’t seem bigger: Indiana beat Purdue 66-0 on Nov. 30, one day before Walters fired.
Odom earned his first FBS head-coaching job at his alma mater Missouri from 2016-19. He finished 25-25 but only had one losing season. The Tigers made two bowl appearances under his watch and were 6-6 in his final season in 2019. Odom’s past stints also include defensive coordinator stops at Memphis, Missouri and Arkansas.