Barry Odom Hired as Missouri Head Coach

The Missouri Tigers have hired their defensive coordinator, Barry Odom, to be the team's next head coach after Gary Pinkel resigned due to a lymphoma diagnosis on Nov. 13.

Athletic director Mack Rhoades released a statement on the decision to hire Odom:

"

We are extremely excited to announce Barry Odom as the new leader of the Mizzou football program. We had the opportunity to visit with a number of excellent coaches throughout our search. At the conclusion of that process, Coach Odom was the clear choice to serve as our next coach. He is a man of high integrity and possesses all the qualities you look for in a successful head coach. He has an undeniable passion for Mizzou, a strong track-record of success at each level of his career and a clear vision to mentor our student-athletes and lead our program to even greater heights.

"

The financials of the five-year deal have yet to be disclosed, according to David Morrison of the Columbia Daily Tribune.

Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports reported on Dec. 1 Rhoades had interviewed several candidates, including Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun, Utah State head coach Matt Wells and Colorado State head coach Mike Bobo.

Staying in-house and going with Odom won't be a bad choice. The Tigers defense allowed only 16.2 points per game this season, ranking seventh in the country.

Keeping someone familiar with the program will be good for the Tigers. They had a down year at 5-7, but that was in large part due to playing freshman quarterback Drew Lock after Maty Mauk's suspension.