Hard. Smart. Tough: A Conversation With Purdue Head Football Coach Barry Odom

In this episode of “This Is Purdue,” we’re talking to Barry Odom, Purdue University’s head football coach. Last year, Coach Odom led the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, to its winningest season in over 40 years, and he’s bringing that same grit to Purdue. He joins the official university podcast to reflect on his first seven months in West Lafayette, the mindset behind “Hard. Smart. Tough,” and why he believes this period of Purdue football isn’t a rebuild — it’s a reset of the standard. In this episode, you will: Learn how Purdue’s values attracted him to the university and how his early experiences shaped his leadership philosophy Discover his mentality and the lessons he shares with the team, including that football is more than what happens on Saturday afternoons — it’s about representing something bigger than yourself Hear how he’s approaching name, image and likeness (NIL) matters with structure and financial education in a time of ongoing change in college sports Find out how family and community are shaping his Purdue journey, from coaching his own son to leaning on his wife’s support to awarding a scholarship to Ethan Trent, the younger brother of the late Tyler Trent Learn how he envisions Ross-Ade Stadium becoming one of the toughest places to play in the country and why he believes Purdue football is positioned for sustained success “Hard. Smart. Tough” only scratches the surface on what there is to know about Coach Odom. Don’t miss hearing from the new pillar of the Purdue football community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Hard. Smart. Tough: A Conversation With Purdue Head Football Coach Barry Odom is an episode from This Is Purdue by Purdue University.

This episode is 34:56 long.

This episode was published on Aug 14, 2025.

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