UVA's Ryan Odom Voted One of Best Offseason Coaching Hires

Ryan Odom gets ready to tip off his first season with the Hoo's after longtime coach Tony Bennett announced his retirement in 2024.

Oct 8, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Virginia head coach Ryan Odom answers questions from the media at The Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: William Howard-Imagn Images / William Howard-Imagn Images

Virginia basketball's new head coach, Ryan Odom, is already getting praise before coaching a single game for the Hoo's this year. CBS Sports' Matt Norlander ranked Odom amongst the top-five coaching hires this past college basketball offseason. Odom comes in after interim head coach Ron Sanchez led the Cavaliers to a losing record last season.

Let's learn more about the Hoo's new coach before the new basketball season tips off!

Culture Fit

Mar 16, 2025; Washington, D.C., USA; VCU Rams head coach Ryan Odom celebrates after cutting down the net during the championship trophy ceremony after the Rams game against the George Mason Patriots at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

CBS Sports pulled together some quotes from around 100 college basketball coaches to hear their opinions on these new coaching hires. Here are some words used to describe Odom's fit at Virginia:

"I know what UVa is about academically and non-athletically. When Ryan Odom was at, he invited me to his practice and I got to know him there. How he is as a coach, who he is, what he values and the university, it's a perfect fit."

"He has a personal connection to the university and he's won everywhere he's been: UMBC, Utah State, VCU."

Experts seem to agree that Odom is a huge proponent of mature culture. Virginia has the reputation of crafting players over the long haul while also focusing on academics more than some other schools might be. Virginia is not a huge "one-and-done school" in terms of going to the NBA, although the transfer portal does change the meaning of the phrase at this point.

Early Coaching Gigs

Mar 15, 2018; Charlotte, NC, USA; UMBC Retrievers head coach Ryan Odom during the practice day before the first round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Ryan Odom has been coaching basketball at the collegiate level for over a decade at this point. Odom's first head coaching gig came on an interim basis at Charlotte back in 2014. The Miners finished with an 8-11 record. The next season, Odom then led Lenoir-Rhyne in North Carolina to a 21-10 record in his lone season coaching there

Odom then moved to the University of Maryland - Baltimore County for the next five seasons. In his first season, the Retrievers improved their record by 14 wins compared to the year before. UMBC went on to lose in the semifinals of the NIT tournament.

Getting His Big Break

Mar 16, 2018; Charlotte, NC, USA; UMBC Retrievers head coach Ryan Odom during the first half against the Virginia Cavaliers in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

UMBC improved even more the next season, earning a birth to NCAA March Madness after beating Vermont in the America East Basketball Tournament. This is the year UMBC became the first 16-seed to knock off a one-seed. Sadly, it was the Cavaliers. UMBC then lost in the second round to Kansas State. The Retrievers did not make the tournament the next year after losing in their conference tournament final. In Odom's last season with UMBC, the season was shortened to only 20 games due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Odom's next stop was Utah State for two seasons. His tenure there was mostly uneventful, leading the team to an 18-win and then a 26-win season. The latter sees USU make the NCAA Tournament. Utah State was bounced out in the first round after losing to Missouri, 76-65.

First Stop In The Commonwealth

Mar 20, 2025; Denver, CO, USA; VCU Rams head coach Ryan Odom reacts during the first half against the Brigham Young Cougars in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Odom's final stop before landing in Charlottesville was Virginia Commonwealth University, where he spent a pair of seasons. Odom led the Rams to at least 24 wins in both seasons, finishing first in the A10 Conference in his second campaign. That year, VCU dominated the conference, winning the regular season championship and the tournament championship. Odom and VCU then moved on to March Madness as an 11-seed, where they lost in the first round to sixth-seeded BYU.

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