Barry Odom talks job security as Mizzou hopes to send seniors out with win
Missouri Tigers coach Barry Odom wants to send his seniors out with a win in their final home game Saturday, but he also addressed his job security Tuesday.
Odom, at his weekly news conference, was asked if he’s had any conversations with athletic director Jim Sterk about his future during the Tigers’ four-game losing skid. Odom reaffirmed his confidence in his program internally.
“Jim and I meet along with (associate athletic director) Nick Joos, we meet every Wednesday,” Odom said. “We talk about a number of things, that’s just a standing thing we do relationship wise with the head football coach, athletic director and sports administration.”
Odom also pointed out how he’s won more games than any MU football coach in their first four years since Warren Powers, who started 31-17 from 1978-81 and coached until 1984. Odom has a 24-24 record with two games remaining this season. The Tigers are 5-5 and 2-4 in the SEC.
“Grade-point average on what we produce, the graduation rate. All those things,” Odom said of where he looks at. “I know the body of work on what we’ve done. Do I wish we would have won more up to this point? Absolutely. So does everybody else. We know the foundation and the culture of the locker room that we have. I’m proud of that. I’m in a really good spot in knowing what we’ve got in the staff room and what we’ve got in the locker room and what we can do over the next 10 days.”
While Odom fields questions about the future, the Tigers look forward to their next game, a 6:30 p.m. kickoff Saturday against the Tennessee Volunteers at Memorial Stadium.
The seniors will pick up one last souvenir from Faurot Field on Senior Day: A rock from the block M in the north end zone.
It’s a tradition Odom knows well. After finishing his playing career from 1996-99, Odom took his farewell gift and it now sits in his office. It’s why Odom wants one final positive for his senior class. While the memories of college last a lifetime, that final memory of Faurot Field is special, Odom said.
“I’ve got to send them out as winners,” Odom said. “I feel like it’s a responsibility we have as a staff and everybody else not a senior to do that.”
A total of 18 seniors will be honored Saturday. That includes starters like DeMarkus Acy, Kelly Bryant, Johnathon Johnson and a slew of others. Jacob Trump and Jonah Dubinski medically retired earlier in their career but have been helping around the program, Odom said.
“As freshmen walking in the door, you get a blank sheet of paper,” Odom said. “You get to write your story together. … They made our place better. They made our university better. They made our athletic department better. I think they’re better persons and they’ll do a great job in society and whatever they’re going to do.”
Saturday’s game is also a chance to snap the losing streak and quiet some of the noise. While the Tigers are struggling, a win at home in their last game would be special, Acy said.
“It’s so surreal,” Acy said of Senior Day. “Just all the emotions going into all the times I’ve played on this field. Lot of memories bringing back. It’ll be my last time dressing at Faurot Field so it’ll be a little emotional, but it’ll be bittersweet at the same time.”
NCAA appeal
Missouri hasn’t heard from the NCAA regarding the Tigers’ appeal of sanctions against the football team, including a one-year postseason ban. There’s been radio silence since their hearing in mid-July. While Odom and Sterk expected to hear the decision by now, that’s still up in the air.
“It’s impactful for not just Mizzou but for the landscape of intercollegiate athletics and the way things have been done, the way they’re supposed to be done and the way that they will be done from here until the end of time,” Odom said of the appeal. “So I know it’s an impactful decision that they’ve got to make.”