Graney: UNLV never had a chance to keep Barry Odom

If you’re going to lose a successful college football coach to a bigger and better conference and more money, you at least want this to be true:

That he left your program in much better shape than when he arrived.

Barry Odom did this at UNLV. Tenfold.

But this is the business and reality of collegiate sports. This is the way things are.

The Rebels never had a chance at keeping Odom. Was never going to happen.

You go to a place that hasn’t won in forever, quickly turn it around at historic levels and others with fat checkbooks come calling. You knew they would for Odom.

He chose to depart for Purdue and a hefty raise Sunday. Can’t blame him in the least.

Odom is off to West Lafayette, Indiana. He’s off to what has been an awful team lately, losers of 11 straight and coming off an 0-9 Big Ten season.

Yep. It’s another rebuild for him.

A bidding war

But Odom should be more than commended for what he accomplished in two years at UNLV. Should be held in the highest of regard by fans who suffered so long for any semblance of a successful program.

He awoke a city of college football followers few knew existed.

“This is a hard day for everyone,” athletic director Erick Harper said. “He made the Rebels a nationally known brand in college football for the first time. Many Rebels fans didn’t think it was possible, but now it has been done here.”

UNLV looked at the numbers. It calculated what it might take to entice Odom to stay.

Odom’s base salary was $1.75 million this season. Purdue paid its last coach, Ryan Walters, more than double that, and he is still owed $9 million. He went 5-19 in two seasons.

UNLV wasn’t going to win any bidding war with Purdue, which has yet to release details of Odom’s deal. But you can bet it’s a whopper. It’s bad math for a Group of Five school such as UNLV.

“That’s a hard (salary) to reach,” Harper said. “The Big Ten has deep pockets. Barry knew how much we wanted him to stay. But the Big Ten right now has half of the biggest stage with the SEC, and the rest of us have the other half of the stage. We’ll just keep fighting to be the best UNLV can possibly be.”

Harper tabbed Odom as the top choice two years ago, and things worked out far better than anyone could have imagined. So the athletic director should be trusted now, until proven otherwise, to hire a coach capable of continuing what Odom built.

And now comes the most challenging part: Keeping it going.

It won’t be easy, no matter whom Harper identifies. UNLV was defined by a senior-led team this season, and the transfer portal opens Monday. The Rebels are sure to lose players to it. Perhaps a lot of them. That’s what makes it imperative Harper works fast to hire a coach. Like lightning fast.

It’s not about loyalty. Never has been. Odom did what he thought was best for his family and career. And it makes sense on all levels.

But that’s not to say UNLV should now consider a step back reality. It still has much to sell when it comes to the next coach. Odom took a bad team and built a highly successful program. The expectation should be more of the same.

Easier said than done

“I want to assure Rebel nation this is the new standard for Rebel football,” Harper said. “We look to continue a championship caliber team each and every season.

“We’re going to do the best we can to make UNLV great. There will not be one ounce of energy short of working our tails off.”

It’s much easier said than done. UNLV hadn’t won at this level for 40 years upon Odom’s arrival. It’s on Harper to make the right hire. To bring someone aboard who can look at 19-8 and two straight bowl appearances for the first time in school history and two consecutive conference championship games and not blink.

Harper is right, however. That’s the standard now. That’s the level fans will expect.

Barry Odom left things in much better shape than when he arrived. Celebrate that.

UNLV never had a chance to keep him.

Ed Graney, a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing, can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on X.