Coach Barry Odom Feels 'Urgency' to Win at Purdue

The opportunity to compete has finally arrived for coach Barry Odom. On Saturday, Purdue will take the field for the first time in the 2025 season, hosting Ball State at Ross-Ade Stadium (noon ET, Big Ten Network). Already, Odom says he feels the urgency and responsibility to win in West Lafayette.

Although Odom had nothing to do with last year's Purdue team, the taste of a 1-11 season has lingered in the mouths of Boilermaker fans. There's an eagerness to rinse out that bitterness this weekend against the Cardinals.

In the eight months Odom has been part of the program, he says his focus has been on the 2025 squad, and not on anything that happened before his arrival.

"I have not spent one second talking about last year to this team," Odom told reporters on Monday. "All respect to the history and tradition of Purdue — I've talked about the tradition of this place — but I didn't talk about the specifics of last year. I wasn't here, so I can't even begin to think what it was, good or bad. I have no idea."

He may not have been around last season, but Odom already understands the importance of winning at Purdue. He's excited for the first opportunity to put a tally in the win the column this weekend and get the 2025 campaign started off on the right foot.

Winning at a high level extends past just one single game, but it all starts this weekend against Ball State.

"I feel a deep, deep responsibility to get Purdue football back to winning for the people at Purdue. It's an honor to be in the chair here, we represent something so much bigger than ourselves," Odom said. "The urgency to get that done, I think about it every single minute of the day."