Ofodile to be 10th assistant

Every college football team in the country is adding to its staff. This week, the addition of a 10th full-time assistant coach goes into effect. Missouri will use its extra spot to promote Director of Recruiting A.J. Ofodile, sources have told PowerMizzou.com.

Missouri has now confirmed the hire.

"A.J. has been a very vital member of our staff the past two years," head coach Barry Odom said in a release. "I've leaned on his input in a lot of areas, and he's constantly made our program better. He's a loyal guy who cares about our kids and making Mizzou the best it can be. I'm excited to have him on board with our coaching staff, and am looking forward to how he can help us improve. His career as a player at the college and NFL levels will be very valuable as well as his previous coaching experience. The past two years overseeing our recruiting department has provided great results for us on the field, and he will certainly continue those efforts in his new role."

Ofodile played tight end at Missouri, culminating in an all-Big Eight senior season in 1993. He was drafted in the fifth round by the Buffalo Bills and spent six years in the NFL with the Bills, Steelers and Ravens.

"I'm very excited for the opportunity to continue to contribute to the success and growth of this program," Ofodile said in the release. We have outstanding young men who believe in Coach Odom's vision for their program and it is exciting to have the opportunity to work with our kids more directly going forward. The future of Mizzou Football is very bright and I'm excited to take on a new role and contribute to its success wherever I'm asked."

After his playing career, Ofodile went into coaching as a member of Barry Odom's staff at Rock Bridge High School in Columbia. Ofodile succeeded Odom as the Bruins' head coach and remained in that job until he was hired by Odom at Mizzou in May of 2016.

As the Tigers' Director of Recruiting, Ofodile headed up the recruiting department and was instrumental in Odom's first two full recruiting classes. Sources have told PowerMizzou.com he will retain many of those duties as he transitions to being an assistant coach, but that Austyn Carta-Samuels is likely to take over Ofodile's role full-time. Carta-Samuels, a former Vanderbilt quarterback, has been Ofodile's top assistant in the recruiting department for the last two years.

The role of the 10th assistant will vary at each school. There is no official word yet what Ofodile's area of emphasis will be going forward.

Odom hired Derek Dooley as his offensive coordinator last Friday. Brad Davis (offensive line) and Vernon Hargreaves II (linebackers) have also been hired since the end of the regular season. The promotion of Ofodile will return Odom's staff to full strength.