With season complete, Odom's status takes center stage
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LITTLE ROCK — As Barry Odom made his way off the turf at War Memorial Stadium, there were no yells, no tears, no passionate embraces with family members. Odom hasn’t been afraid to show his emotions after triumphant victories in the past — most notably, Missouri’s win over No. 11 Florida last season. Like that game, the Tigers’ 24-14 win over Arkansas Friday snapped a lengthy losing streak.
Instead, Odom simply smiled as he flitted from player to player on his walk from midfield to the visiting locker room, slapping fives with some and hugging others. From the corner of the field, athletics director Jim Sterk, the man in charge of Odom’s fate, watched silently, his hands stuffed in his coat pockets and his face betraying little.
While Missouri’s players’ glee at tasting victory for the first time in nearly seven weeks could be seen in their poses with the Battle Line trophy on the field and heard in their raucous locker room celebration, the Tigers’ win isn’t likely to have much impact on Sterk’s decision. Now, with the season complete, the storyline that has hung above the final month of the year takes center stage: whether Odom will be back on the sidelines in 2020.
Odom himself admitted he doesn’t know what his future holds.
“No idea,” Odom said when asked about his job security. “Going to wake up in the morning and go to work.”
Friday’s win returned Odom’s winning percentage in four seasons at Missouri to .500 — 25-25. It would have boosted the Tigers to bowl eligibility for the third season in a row, but the school learned Tuesday that sanctions from the NCAA for an academic misconduct case involving a rogue tutor, including a postseason ban, had been upheld. It also represented Odom’s 20th win over a team that plays in a mid-major conference or finished the regular season with a record below .500.
Those will likely be a few of many factors Sterk weighs in his ultimate decision. If he also factors in the opinion of Odom’s players, it would be a checkmark in the “stay” column. The Tiger players weren’t shy about voicing their support for Odom after the game.
“I would do anything for him,” said slot receiver Barrett Banister, who caught a team-high six passes Friday. “He’s given me everything and he’s given me a chance to go be what I want to be. I’m so thankful for him, and I’m so thankful to be playing for him. He loves his players and he’s truly passionate about what he does.”
“That’s my coach,” added wideout Jonathan Nance. “I love him. He helped me out in so many ways, and he’s a good guy. ... I respect him.”
Throughout this season, as an answer to Missouri’s appeal has loomed and fans’ calls for Odom’s head have crescendoed, Odom has asked his players to “tune out the noise.” Several said Friday that they did just that during the chaotic six days leading up to the season-ending matchup. The team found out Tuesday that it would not play in a bowl regardless of the result against Arkansas.
But linebacker Nick Bolton revealed that the players didn’t totally listen to their coach’s instructions. On Thanksgiving day, the team held a players-only meeting in its hotel in Little Rock, in part to establish what a win Friday would mean for Odom.
“We had a team meeting with players and we just talked about how we wanted to get a win for our coaching staff, because obviously we lose to Arkansas, our coaching staff is probably not going to be there,” Bolton explained.
Players said the meeting was dominated by upperclassmen and team captains. Cornerback Christian Holmes was mentioned as a prominent voice. Bolton said the meeting shows that Odom still has the respect of the locker room.
“Nobody in the locker room would want to play for anybody else besides coach Odom, myself included,” he said.
As he did on the field, Odom avoided displaying any fire or emotion in his postgame press conference. He talked like a coach who envisions himself remaining at Missouri next season, saying his focus would turn to 2020 “as soon as I shower and get on the plane.”
But addressing the team in the locker room behind closed doors, safety Khalil Oliver said, Odom let loose a bit as he thanked the seniors and celebrated the win with the team. Bolton and the rest of the players hope it is enough to keep him employed.
“We can’t really tell the future,” Bolton said. “Whatever happens, happens. But I know the people in the locker room, they want coach Odom as their head coach. We played harder (Friday) for him.”