UNLV Director of Athletics Erick Harper announced Friday that head coach Barry Odom received an additional year and future retention bonuses onto his contract which extends through 2028.
Odom, who was hired in December 2022, led the Rebels to a 9-5 season last year, a four-win improvement from the previous campaign, and their highest win total since 1984. UNLV appeared in its first Mountain West Championship game and first bowl game since 2013.
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Here is Odom’s full statement in a release.
“On behalf of our coaching staff and our football program I’d like to thank President (Keith E.) Whitfield, the Board of Regents, and obviously Erick Harper for their sustained commitment not only to myself and our staff, but also to our entire football organization as we continue to grow and elevate our program to a national level,” Odom stated. “I’m excited about the foundation we have built in the past 16 months and I certainly look forward to our strong future. I’m thankful for our staff and our student-athletes — they are on a mission to win a championship. I’m also thankful for the tremendous support we receive from the UNLV community, its fans and business partners and the extraordinary city of Las Vegas as we build a program in which we can all be proud. Together, I’m confident that we will continue to move the program forward and have success.”
Odom earned Mountain West Coach of the Year in 2023 becoming the first UNLV coach to do so since 2000, and he was a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award which he was also the first from UNLV to accomplish.
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UNLV won five-straight games from Weeks 3-8 en route to finishing atop the Mountain West. Odom oversaw the Rebels offense averaging 34.43 points per game, best in the conference last season.
In the classroom, UNLV attained the program’s “highest cumulative grade point average at 3.22” and “first First Team Academic All-America honoree,” according to a release.
“We are obviously thrilled about what Barry Odom and his staff did in year one leading Rebel football,” Harper stated in a release. “The program is on an upward trajectory and we could not be more excited about him leading the way. Barry continues to be a man of his word, focusing on growing all phases of the program the right way. He is committed to his players, coaches and staff and with the newly expanded CFP he is laying a foundation that gives Rebel Football a chance to compete at the highest level. I look forward to working with Coach Odom for years to come.”
