Barry Odom Emphasizes 'Winning Now,' Describes Successful Season at Purdue

Barry Odom hasn't shied away from placing high expectations on the program since being named Purdue's coach in December. He has placed a heavy emphasis on finding ways to win in West Lafayette, and quickly.

When addressing a sellout crowd at Mackey Arena during the Purdue-Indiana basketball game in January, Odom promised fans he was dedicated to getting the program "back to its winning ways." He hasn't backed away from that.

Friday, Odom joined The Fan Morning Show on 107.5 The Fan in Indianapolis. The first-year Purdue coach was asked to define a successful season in 2025. It's no surprise that he didn't put a number to a win-loss record, but he does believe the Boilers should be in the postseason at the end of the year.

"We need to play winning football. Our habits need to align to that," Odom said. "We need to be, in the month of November, chasing the opportunity to compete for a championship, and then we've got to be able to play in the postseason. That's the bottom line."

Purdue is coming off one of the worst seasons in program history, posting a 1-11 record in 2024. The program also dealt with significant turnover in the offseason, welcoming in more than 70 new players via transfer portal and recruiting.

Some might consider the 2025 campaign a "rebuilding year" in West Lafayette, but Odom doesn't want to entertain that thought.

"Nobody wants to hear it's a rebuild," he said. "I know this — I'm not going to sit in front of the team and spend one moment talking about last year's team. I didn't have anything to do with that, and neither did this team."

Purdue's season begins on Saturday, Aug. 30, hosting Ball State at Ross-Ade Stadium.

Odom promises to win at Purdue

Six months ago, Odom stood in front of a sellout crowd at Mackey Arena on a cold January night as the Purdue basketball team hosted Indiana. With a microphone in hand, the new head coach of the Boilermakers promised to put the program back on the map.

"We're going to get Purdue football back to the winning ways," Odom said, igniting cheers. "We're gonna win, we're gonna win now, and we're gonna win big."

There are a lot of unknowns with Purdue heading into the 2025 season. With a new coaching staff and nearly an entirely new roster, it's hard to know what to expect from the Boilermakers.

But Odom isn't making any excuses or telling Purdue fans to be patient. He wants to win immediately in West Lafayette and have the Boilers fighting for championships soon.

Odom promises to win at Purdue

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