Purdue Football's Barry Odom calls new offensive coordinator 'elite'

Josh Henson has been USC’s offensive coordinator for the past three seasons.
Henson served as offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Missouri from 2009 to 2015, while Odom served as defensive coordinator.

Purdue football coach Barry Odom and his new offensive coordinator Josh Henson played side by side on Missouri’s wildly successful team a decade ago.

Now they will work together again to try to turn the Boilermakers program around. Purdue officially announced Henson’s hiring on Wednesday, a day after Football Scoop first reported the agreement. Henson will also coach Ohio State’s tight ends.

Purdue’s press release did not include contract details for Henson, who spent the last three seasons at USC, another Big Ten program.

“I have known Josh for nearly 30 years and have always had respect for his approach to the game,” Odom said in the press release. “His experience is first class, his ability to develop a game plan and put players in a position to be successful is very impressive. He has demonstrated a great ability to identify, recruit and develop players at all positions. He will be able to create an offense that is attacking in every way. I’m excited to have Josh leading our offense here!”

During the 2013-14 season, Odom served as the Tigers’ defensive coordinator while Henson coached and coordinated the offense. These teams won 23 games under Gary Pinkel, appeared in two SEC Championship games and were ranked fifth and 14th, respectively, in the final AP Top 25 poll.

That 2013 offense with quarterback Drew Lock ranked 18th nationally in yards per play (6.3). It also ranked among the top 10 among power conference teams at 37.7 points per game.

Henson was Missouri’s offensive coordinator/offensive coach from 2009 to 2015. Most recently, he served as offensive coordinator for Lincoln Riley at USC. The Trojans finished third nationally in yards per game in both 2022 and 2023, with quarterback Caleb Williams winning the Heisman Trophy.

Henson coached tight ends at Oklahoma State and LSU – including on the Tigers’ 2007 national championship team. This position group was one of Purdue’s strongest last season. However, backup Drew Biber has already transferred to Minnesota, and starter Max Klare remains in the portal, visiting programs like Texas, Texas A&M, Michigan and Louisville.

George Burhenn, who played just 22 offensive snaps in four games last season due to injury, is the most prominent returnee in this group. Tayvion Galloway, a four-star prospect in the 2024 signing class, also entered the portal after the season.

However, Henson’s background as an offensive coach should be beneficial both immediately and long-term.

Breaking News

Dellupodisabato

Purdue Football’s Barry Odom calls new offensive coordinator ‘elite’

Leave a Reply Cancel reply