Barry Odom Urging For 'Aggressive' Approach to Get Purdue Football Back on the Map

Purdue coach Barry Odom has seen what Indiana accomplished with investment in its football program. He wants to see that buy-in for his squad, as well.

Purdue Football head coach Barry Odom speaks during Big Ten Media Days. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

No team ever wants to tip its cap to its arch-nemesis. When it comes to Purdue, though, it has to recognize all that Curt Cignetti has accomplished in his short time at Indiana. He turned the worst program in the history of college football into a national champion.

While not many programs can have the type of immediate success that the Hoosiers enjoyed when Cignetti arrived in 2024, Odom does believe what Indiana achieved should provide hope to every school playing major college football. Yes, that includes Purdue.

"What he's done in two years, it's never been done in the game before, ever," Odom told ESPN's Adam Rittenberg. "So it's put everybody else on what's happened, what are we doing? That's real."

For Purdue to claw its way out of the basement of the Big Ten, it's going to require more than just Odom's best coaching efforts. The football program needs investment and needs to be aggressive in its fundraising efforts to help land and retain the best prospects in the sport.

Odom believes there's potential for Purdue to be a competitor in the Big Ten, but it's going to take a great deal of buy-in from multiple places.

"Creatively, with 600,000 alumni, with so many Fortune 500 companies that we have contact and communication with, in how you do business, we better try to be competitive," Odom said. "So you've got to be aggressive. You've got to have a fundraising mentality in every level of your administration within college athletics."

Purdue Boilermakers head coach Barry Odom and Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Purdue is in a unique position right now. Athletic director Mike Bobinski hired Odom after Ryan Walters flamed out in two short years in West Lafayette. However, Bobinski is heading into retirement at the end of the calendar year, leaving the school searching for a new leader.

Odom spoke openly about what he thinks the program needs from its next athletic director.

"We need to be innovative and aggressive in bringing in revenue," Odom said. "Especially in regard to funds available on top of what the revenue share cap is, and how important that is."

In 2022, Purdue was competing in the Big Ten Championship Game. It had regularly upset highly-ranked opponents and was a consistent bowl contender. Then, the program slipped and fell off a cliff.

Over the past three seasons, Purdue has posted a 7-29 record. The Boilermakers have not won a single Big Ten game in the past two years. Odom is only responsible for one of those seasons, but the compounding struggles have resulted in a drop in fan support.

Things aren't much better this preseason, as the Boilers are once again projected to finish last in the Big Ten by multiple media outlets.

In this new era of college football, though, things can change rapidly. Odom may not turn Purdue around as quickly as Cignetti catapulted Indiana to the top of the college football world, but he believes its possible to "fix" things in West Lafayette and have the Boilers competing for Big Ten titles again.

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