Mizzou adds Columbia Rock Bridge coach A.J. Ofodile to football staff

Missouri football coach Barry Odom has hired Columbia Rock Bridge High football coach A.J. Ofodile as his director of recruiting operations, a move the Tigers announced Monday afternoon.

“I’m very excited to have A.J. joining our staff,” Odom said in a release. “He will be a huge part of our entire program, and specifically our recruiting efforts. I have tremendous respect for A.J. as a person and as a mentor and I’m excited for how he will represent our program and university.”

Ofodile, a Detroit native, played tight end at Mizzou and was a fifth-round pick of the Buffalo Bills in 1994.

“Naturally, it’s very special for me to be coming back to my alma mater,” Ofodile said in a release. “Mizzou holds a very special place in my heart and I am very excited about doing anything I can to contribute to it.”

Ofodile, 42, also spent time with the Steelers and Ravens as well as with the World League’s Rhein Fire and the XFL’s Memphis Maniax.

He worked on Odom’s staff at Rock Bridge as an assistant coach and offensive coordinator from 2001-02 and was promoted to head coach in 2003.

“I’ve been very set about if I was to ever make the move to the college level, that who I was going to be working for was the most important aspect, and it couldn’t be a better situation for me at Mizzou with Coach Odom,” Ofodile said. “I have a world of respect for him, he’s a first-class person and I believe in his vision and the work that he and his staff are doing to build something special.”

The Bruins were the Missouri Class 6 runner-up in 2013.

Ofodile was an All-Big Eight first-team selection in 1993 and totaled 73 receptions for 851 yards with six touchdowns during his Mizzou career, including 55 catches for 589 yards and four TDs as a senior.

“(Ofodile) cares deeply about Mizzou, and shares a lot of the same beliefs that I have on building Mizzou into a championship program,” Odom said.

Ofodile completed a general studies bachelor’s degree at MU in 2001. His son, Alex Ofodile, is a redshirt freshman wide receiver at Oregon. He was a Rivals four-star prospect, the No. 2 player in Missouri and No. 23 receiver in the 2015 class.

This story was originally published May 9, 2016 at 4:20 PM with the headline "Mizzou adds Columbia Rock Bridge coach A.J. Ofodile to football staff."