Barry Odom could be a head coach somewhere; instead he’s helping Arkansas get better
Barry Odom may not have been to the tip-top of the mountain, but being a head coach in the SEC isn’t far from such heights.
After Odom coached the Arkansas defense to its best season as a group since 2014, head-coaching jobs were aplenty. Arkansas’ now-third-year defensive coordinator could have taken one of them. He probably could have chosen his destination in several cases.
Instead, Odom is back in Fayetteville, hoping to help the Hogs defense improve even last year’s total of 367.6 yards per game, a mark that was 50th in the country.
Those are not the words of someone eager to leave. By spurning potential head-coaching gigs in the winter and spring, Odom practiced what he preached. Even the SEC’s assemble media think Arkansas could stick near the top half of the league again in 2022. The Razorbacks were picked to finish third in the SEC West.
Odom returns former Freshman All-American Jalen Catalon at safety and potential All-SEC linebacker Bumper Pool. Drew Sanders, Zach Williams, Simeon Blair, LaDarrius Bishop and others have also already proven their value as starters in college football’s best conference.
It all points to Arkansas taking yet another positive step in 2022.
