Purdue football coach Barry Odom’s first crucial addition to his coaching staff may come from a rival Big Ten coaching staff.
Football Scoop reported Odom’s first Boilermakers offensive coordinator will be Josh Henson. He most recently served as USC coach Lincoln Riley’s offensive coordinator and offensive line coach.
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He held those same titles from 2009-15 at Missouri. Odom served as the Tigers’ defensive coordinator during most of that tenure. Odom did not retain Henson as OC when taking over as head coach prior to the 2016 season.
Football Scoop’s report does not specify whether Henson will also coach the offensive line for the Boilermakers.
Henson also served as offensive line coach at Oklahoma State and Texas A&M between his Missouri and USC stints. Like Odom, he played middle linebacker at Missouri.
USC’s offense ranked fifth among Big Ten teams at 6.37 yards per play this past season. It ranked third in the nation in both 2022 (7.39) and 2023 (7.18) with Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Caleb Williams. For context, no Purdue offense has averaged more than six yards per play since 2018.
This past season, USC nearly led all Big Ten teams in rushing yards per attempt at 5.33, barely behind Penn State’s 5.34. The Trojans‘ 1.17 sacks allowed per game ranked fifth in the conference.
Since USC is a private school, public salary records for its assistant coaches are not available. Purdue did not specify a specific dollar figure for Odom’s assistant coaches. Athletic director Mike Bobinski said only “We’re committed to doing what’s needed.”
The identity of Odom’s offensive coordinator loomed as a singificant one for a coach with a defensive background. Odom said last week he was talking to multiple candidates — all of whom were still coaching teams headed to bowl games.
Previous coach Ryan Walters fired his offensive coordinator, Graham Harrell, only four games into his second season. Walters, who had never even been an offensive position coach, took over offensive play calling himself. Purdue scored the fewest points in the Big Ten Conference and ranked 15th in yards per play.
Purdue has not announced the hire. Odom has yet to officially announce any staff additions since his hire on Dec. 8. More additions are expected, though, after UNLV plays in the LA Bowl on Wednesday night.
This story will be updated.
