Since arriving at UNLV, Barry Odom has been an extremely successful head coach for the Rebels.
UNLV went 9-5 in 2023, his first season there. The Rebels made a run to the Mountain West Championship and even hosted but ultimately lost to Boise State.
This year has arguably been even better. UNLV defeated two Power Four teams on the road, Houston and Kansas, which helped get them ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. The Rebels are 6-2 overall, with their only losses being against Syracuse in overtime and against No. 15-ranked Boise State.
This success has made people wonder if Odom might be a candidate for other coaching opportunities. Considering UNLV is already often in the top five of the Group of Five Top 25 Media Poll, he likely would only leave for the right situation at a Power Four school.
No P4 coaches have been fired so far this season, so guessing where he might end up – if he leaves UNLV at all – is a little difficult. But here are some potential landing spots for him considering the coaches who were on the hot seat going into this year.
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Arkansas
Going from the Mountain West to the SEC might be a considerable leap for some coaches. But Odom already has experience in the SEC having coached at Missouri, where he went 25-25 from 2016-19.
Sam Pittman is the head coach at Arkansas right now. The Razorbacks are 5-3 overall but went 4-8 a season ago. If Arkansas doesn’t win more games down the stretch and decides to go in another direction, Odom would be good for the job.
Florida
After a successful few years at Louisiana, Florida hired Billy Napier to lead the Gators. They made a bowl game in his first year there, losing in the Las Vegas Bowl to close out the 2022 season, but they went 5-7 last year and are 4-3 to start this season.
Napier might not have much longer at Florida if the Gators don’t start to show some improvements. And if Florida looks for a new leader of the program and wants another successful G5 coach who has experience in the SEC, Odom would make sense.
West Virginia
Neal Brown has been the head coach of West Virginia since 2019. The Mountaineers have enjoyed just two winning seasons since then, though one of them was last year when they went 9-4 overall with a victory in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. But WVU is 4-4 so far this year, so Brown might be back on the hot seat unless the Mountaineers put a winning streak together.
If not, and if West Virginia needs a new head coach, Odom wouldn’t be a bad option. He’s shown he can take a mediocre program and turn it into a standout one in little time.
Baylor
Staying in the Big 12, many believed Baylor head coach Dave Aranda was on the hot seat this offseason. And he hasn’t done much to show why he should stick around much longer. The Bears are 4-4 overall, with two of those wins being against P4 programs, and they’re 3-2 in Big 12 play.
There are several Group of Five coaches who Baylor could hire here, like Liberty head coach Jamey Chadwell. But Odom should certainly be considered as well.
Cal
Looking at potential opportunities closer to where Odom already is, some think Cal head coach Justin Wilcox might be on the hot seat if the Golden Bears don’t start winning more. They’re 4-4 overall, with all of their losses being against ACC teams in their first season in that league. Wilcox has been at Cal since 2017, and he’s led the team to just one bowl game since 2020 with no appearances in the Associated Press Top 25 since then.
If Wilcox is fired, Odom would be a coach to think about. He’s proven he can recruit in that region of the country and can win quickly as well.