Missouri Football: Barry Odom’s second season has to be better than the first
In his first season as head coach, Barry Odom had nothing short of a difficult transition into his new position as the head man at Missouri. How will he fare in 2017?
When Barry Odom took over as head coach for the Missouri football program, there were growing pains aplenty. The Tigers finished the season with four wins, but finished strong, nonetheless.
As the Tigers prepare for the 2017 season, Odom seems to be in a better place with his recruiting efforts, and should be more comfortable in his second year in his current role.
Before Odom inherited the head coaching job vacated by the great Gary Pinkel, he served as the defensive coordinator for one season.
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Odom has plenty of experience coaching at multiple levels, and in the capacity of a head coach.
Odom was previously the defensive coordinator at the University of Memphis. Prior to that, he was a graduate assistant at Mizzou after coaching at the high school level.
If you were expecting a winning season from Odom last year, then like me, you were disappointed.
But for the team’s strong finish, many would be questioning the validity of Odom as Missouri’s head coach going beyond the first season.
In his second season, and maybe after observing the spring game through rose-colored lenses, the Tigers seem like they could legitimately finish the season with nothing worse than a dead-even 6-6 record – “bowl eligible.”
What if the Tigers are in a situation like last year, and miss bowl eligibility? Might Missouri begin accepting applications for Odom’s successor?
My gut says that Athletic Director Jim Sterk will allow Odom to recruit and coach for at least a third season. In between the second and third season, there might be cause for “the talk,” but I believe that Odom is safe for a minimum of three years.
The good news for Odom and the Tigers, is a lot of younger players are becoming more familiar with Odom and the coaching staff’s system.
Aside from the new recruits, everyone else is at least one year removed from their first season, and the Tigers also return a number of scholarship athletes.
I also believe that the Tigers will improve offensively, and we will see the resurgence of “D-Line Zou.” Speaking of defense, now that the Tigers may be moving away from the “read and react” defense, and may be implementing a 3-4 or returning their current 4-3 scheme.
Under Pinkel, the 4-3 scheme paid dividends for the Missouri defense, making it one of the top defenses in the SEC (and formerly Big 12), annually.
At the very least, we should be assured that barring a complete meltdown, and worse turnout than the 2016 season, Odom has a job for at least a third year.
If Mizzou attains bowl contention, we could be seeing a contact extension sooner than we expect.