UNLV Head Coach Barry Odom explains how he felt when Bobby Petrino left for Texas A&M
Texas A&M’s move to acquire new offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino this offseason, in January to be exact, affected the emotions of many big names in college football media after Petrino left the same position at UNLV precisely three weeks after accepting Jimbo Fisher’s offer with the Aggies.
Ethically, Petrino had every right to take his new position after his brief employment with the Rebels. To UNLV Head Coach Barry Odom’s credit, he wished him the best after becoming the second offensive coordinator under Jimbo Fisher during his tenure with the Aggies.
In a piece from The Athletic, writer Nicole Auerbach interviewed Odom last spring as UNLV attempts to “ride the Las Vegas sports surge,” as the article suggests, Auerbach, of course, did her due diligence and asked about the situation involving Petrino’s departure, leading to Odom revealing that for those three weeks, Petrino was with the program, everything was peachy keen.
“When I got this job I called him and said, ‘We’re going to hire an offensive coordinator, and I want it to be you. I didn’t know how fast it would go from that conversation to, ‘Yeah, I’m really interested.’ He said he’d love to come work for me.”
Now, suppose we’re all being honest with ourselves, being offered the chance to not only be the offensive coordinator for Texas A&M but also call plays with one of the more talented offensive rosters in the country. In that case, you can’t blame Petrino for finally jumping at the chance to return to the SEC. In the aftermath, Odom expressed his obvious displeasure but understood the gravity of the offer based on A&M’s standing in the college football landscape.
“I said, ‘Well, you’ve got a job,’” Odom stated. “But it was something he couldn’t turn down. I wasn’t happy about it, but what can you do? So, I got a piece of paper and went to the next candidate and tried to get him hired and here as fast as possible. So, we did. I don’t want to lose coaches, especially really good ones, guys who are great mentors and teachers and leaders of men who are important in the community.
His next candidate? Former Texas wide receivers coach Brennan Marion swiftly accepted Odom’s offer to become the Rebel’s new and permanent (for at least the 2023 season) offensive coordinator, who Barry Odom he couldn’t be excited about.
“But I’m really excited. We’ve got Brennan Marion, and he’ll do a great job. I wish Bobby and all those guys the best.”
Let bygones be bygones, as I always say, and it’s nice to know that Barry Odom has turned the page, and hopefully, both hires will benefit both programs ahead of their respective 2023 campaigns.
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