WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Bringing in top talent from the transfer portal might be the most popular way to build a successful program for some coaches, but that’s not how new Purdue coach Barry Odom will operate. He’s going to continue emphasize recruiting at the high school level.
Odom made his first appearance on the Purdue Football Live radio program this week, discussing the incoming recruits, spring football and plenty more. When asked about his recruiting strategy, the new leader of the Boilermakers said most of the work will be done at the high school ranks.
“We’re going to be a high school recruiting program. I believe in that. I was a high school coach when I started,” Odom said. “I believe in the foundational approach when identifying talent, building relationships, getting kids in the program and developing them to go win and compete in this conference.”
That might sound somewhat hypocritical to what Odom has done in his first two months since taking over at Purdue. Odom and his staff are bringing in 40 new players, 29 of which are from the transfer portal.
However, the Boilermakers had more than 30 players transfer out of the program following the 2024 campaign. A combination of a 1-11 season and the coaching change prompted more several players to explore other opportunities outside of West Lafayette.
So, in order to build a competitive team immediately, Odom had to utilize the portal during the offseason.
“If you have an older guy in the program leave, it’s our charge as a staff that, there’s a replacement out there. We’ve got to find somebody that’s better. That’s the name of the game, you have to go do that,” Odom said. “You can’t just sign 50 freshmen, because then your roster is out of whack. If we lose and older guy, we’re going to replace him with an older guy.”
Odom and his staff had to find that balance for the upcoming 2025 campaign. Moving forward, though, expect Purdue to rely heavily on high school recruiting and development as a foundational piece of the program.
“We’re going to sign and be very aggressive with high school recruiting,” Odom said. “I think there’s great talent in this area in the high school ranks.”
PURDUE LANDS FIRST PLEDGE OF 2026: Purdue has its first verbal commitment of the 2026 recruiting class, landing a pledge from 6-foot-7, 315-pound offensive lineman Rico Schrieber. CLICK HERE
ODOM ADDS FUEL TO PURDUE-IU: Did Barry Odom pour a little more fuel on the Purdue-Indiana football rivalry? During a press conference on Wednesday, he referred to the Hoosiers as “the opponent in red.” CLICK HERE
ODOM’S COMMITMENT TO SUCCESS AT PURDUE: New Purdue coach Barry Odom said he feels a “very, very deep” responsibility to get the Boilermaker football program back on the right track. CLICK HERE
PURDUE FOOTBALL SPRING GAME: The Purdue football team has set a date for the 2025 spring game. The Boilermakers are entering their first year under coach Barry Odom. CLICK HERE
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