Brian Odom Joins Mizzou Football Coaching Staff
2/3/2017 9:15:00 AM | Football
Started his coaching career as graduate assistant at MU in 2005
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Football Head Coach Barry Odom has filled out his coaching staff, and will be joined by his younger brother, Brian Odom, who will serve as outside linebackers coach for Mizzou. Ryan Walters, Mizzou's co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach, will now coach all defensive backs moving forward.
Brian Odom will be on his second stint with Mizzou, where he began his career in athletics as an administrative and defensive graduate assistant coach on Gary Pinkel's staff in 2005. He comes to Mizzou from Washington State, where he was the defensive quality control assistant for the 2015 and 2016 seasons. At WSU, Brian was instrumental in the Cougars' defensive turnaround, working under Defensive Coordinator and former Mizzou assistant coach Alex Grinch.
Prior to Washington State, Brian spent three years running the football strength and conditioning program at the University of Houston (2012-14), after spending seven years working with the football performance program at the University of Arizona (2005-11). Additionally, for five seasons (2006-10), he assisted UA's football operations director by coordinating advance travel arrangements for all away games.
"I am extremely grateful this opportunity, and I'd like to thank Coach Odom and his staff and Director of Athletics Jim Sterk for giving me the opportunity to come back to Mizzou," said Brian Odom. "I'm excited to get my family back to the great town of Columbia and be part of a school that I've followed closely for over 20 years now. I'm really excited about the future of the program and it's an honor to coach in such a prestigious league as the SEC and represent the state of Missouri. I'm looking forward to doing great things with this outstanding staff," he said.
Brian joined Grinch's defensive staff prior to the 2015 season, a year after the Cougars went just 3-9 overall and ranked 97th or worse out of 124 FBS schools in six different major statistical categories. In the short span of two seasons, the Wazzu defense went from dead last in the NCAA in 2014 in turnovers gained (eight) to 34th in 2015 (24) and 38th in 2016 (23). They also went from allowing 38.6 points per game in 2014 (ranking 114th in the NCAA) to allowing 26.4 points in 2016 (ranking 50th). The Cougars were just 3-9 in 2014, but strung together 9-4 and 8-5 seasons, respectively, in 2015 and 2016, while playing in bowl games in consecutive seasons (2015 Sun Bowl, 2016 Holiday Bowl) for only the third time in school history.
"I'm excited to have Brian join our staff, he will be a great fit for us in a variety of roles," said Head Coach Barry Odom. "He has an understanding of the defensive structure we're going to run, he's been around it extensively his last couple of years at Washington State, and he and I have spent a lot of time together personally prior to that studying and sharing defensive philosophies. He's got a great mind for football, and he has a strong background in leading, mentoring and motivating players to improve themselves and attain goals. I know what I'm getting with Brian, and I know the opportunity to be back at Mizzou means a lot to him," he said.
Grinch said that Brian Odom was an important part of WSU's defensive turnaround.
"He was vital to our staff," said Grinch, who was Mizzou's safeties coach from 2012-14 and a graduate assistant from 2002-04. "When you have someone who was a head strength coach like he was, he's basically ran his own football program. It's a unique deal, only something that a head coach and a head strength coach know about. To run a position room, that becomes a little easier with the background he has. Having that kind of perspective, in terms of motivating and dealing with players on a day-to-day basis, it's a feather in his cap. Brian is a big detail-oriented guy. We'll miss him here and I know he'll do a great job at Mizzou," Grinch added.
Following his time at Mizzou, Brian joined the Arizona athletic performance staff in July of 2005 and immediately assisted with football, as well as with other UA programs. He was promoted to associate director in January of 2007, and worked with football before running his own football strength program under coach Tony Levine at Houston from 2012-14. His work with the football teams helped lead to five bowl game appearances, including three at Arizona and two at Houston.
An all-state prep running back in his hometown of Ada, Okla., Brian was named the Oklahoma High School Player of the Year in 1999 by the Tulsa World. He attended Oklahoma for two years, and was a redshirt on OU's 2000 national championship team. That same year, he won the team's Iron Man Award for his performance in the weight room. He lettered for the Sooners in 2001 on special teams, and then transferred to Southeastern Oklahoma State, where he was a three-year starter at tailback (2002-04), earning first-team Lone Star All-Conference honors as a senior in 2004. He earned his bachelor's degree from SEO in December of 2004.
Brian and his wife, Mackenzie, have a son, Benjamin (7).
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Brian Odom File
Coaching History:
- 2015-16 Washington State – Defensive Quality Control
- 2012-14 Houston – Co-Director of Sports Performance
- 2007-11 Arizona – Associate Director of Performance Enhancement
- 2005-06 Arizona – Assistant Director of Performance Enhancement
- 2005 (Jan.-July) Missouri – Administrative & Defensive Graduate Assistant
Bowl Games:
- Washington State (2) – Holiday, 2016; Sun, 2015.
- Houston (2) – Armed Forces, 2014; Compass, 2013.
- Arizona (3) – Alama, 2010; Holiday, 2009; Las Vegas, 2008.
Playing Experience:
- 2000-01 – Oklahoma (Running Back)
- 2002-04 – Southeastern Oklahoma (Running Back)
Education:
- 2004 Southeastern Oklahoma
Family:
- Wife – Mackenzie; Son – Benjamin (7).
