5 potential power 4 landing spots for UNLV head coach Barry Odom

Since arriving at UNLV, Barry Odom has been an extremely successful head coach for the Rebels.

UNLV went 9-5 in 2023, his first season there. The Rebels made a run to the Mountain West Championship and even hosted, but ultimately lost to Boise State.

This year was arguably even better. UNLV defeated two Power Four teams, Houston and Kansas, along the way, putting them in the Associated Press Top 25. The Rebels are 6-1 overall, with their only loss coming to Syracuse in overtime, going into their showdown with Boise. Status this week.

This success has people wondering if Odom might be a candidate for other coaching opportunities. Considering UNLV has been ranked in the top five of the Group of Five Top 25 Media Poll many times, he would likely only leave for the right situation at a Power Four school.

No P4 coaches have been fired so far this season, so it’s a bit difficult to guess where he might end up – if he leaves UNLV at all. But here are some potential landing spots for him, given the coaches who were on the hot seat this year.

Arkansas

Moving from the Mountain West to the SEC could be a significant step for some coaches. But Odom already has experience in the SEC as a coach at Missouri, where he played from 2016 to 2019 at age 25-25.

Sam Pittman is currently the head coach at Arkansas. The Razorbacks are 4-3 overall, but went 4-8 a season ago. If Arkansas stops winning games down the stretch and decides to go in a different direction, Odom would be good for the job.

Florida

After a few successful years in Louisiana, Florida hired Billy Napier to manage the Gators. They made a bowl game in his first year there, losing in the Las Vegas Bowl to end the 2022 season, but they went 5-7 last year and are 4-3 to start this season .

Napier may not stay in Florida much longer if the Gators don’t start showing some improvement. And if Florida looks for a new leader of the program and wants another successful G5 coach who has experience in the SEC, Odom would make sense.

West Virginia

Neal Brown has been West Virginia’s head coach since 2019. The Mountaineers have had just two winning seasons since then, although one of those came last year when they went 9-4 overall with a win in Duke’s Mayo Bowl. But WVU is 3-4 so far this year, so Brown could be back on the hot seat unless the Mountaineers put together a winning streak.

If not, and if West Virginia needs a new head coach, Odom wouldn’t be a bad option. He has shown that he can turn a mediocre program into an excellent program in a short time.

Baylor

Many believed Baylor head coach Dave Aranda, who remained in the Big 12, was in the right place this offseason. And he hasn’t done much to show why he should stick around much longer. The Bears are 3-4 overall, with only one win coming against a P4 program, and they are 1-3 in Big 12 play.

There are several Group of Five coaches Baylor could hire here, such as Liberty head coach Jamey Chadwell. But Odom should definitely be considered as well.

Cal

Looking at potential opportunities closer to where Odom already is, some think Cal head coach Justin Wilcox could be in the right spot if the Golden Bears stop winning. They are 3-4 overall, with all of their losses coming against ACC teams in their first season in that league. Wilcox has been with Cal since 2017 and he has led the team to just one bowl game since 2020, and has not appeared in the Associated Press Top 25 since.

If Wilcox is fired, Odom would be a coach to consider. He has proven that he can recruit in that region of the country and win quickly.