5 potential power 4 landing spots for UNLV head coach Barry Odom

Since arriving at UNLV, Barry Odom has been a highly successful head coach for the Rebels.

UNLV achieved a 9-5 record in 2023, its first season there. The Rebels made it to the Mountain West Championship and even hosted, but ultimately lost to Boise State.

This year it was probably even better. UNLV defeated two Power Four teams, Houston and Kansas, on the road, helping them earn a spot in the Associated Press Top 25. The Rebels are 6-1 overall, with their only loss coming in overtime to Syracuse heading into their showdown with Boise State this week.

This success has led people to wonder whether Odom could be a candidate for other coaching opportunities. Considering UNLV is often ranked in the top five of the Group of Five's Top 25 media poll, he would likely choose a Power Four school only if the situation was right.

No P4 coach has been fired so far this season, so it's a little difficult to guess where he might end up – if he leaves UNLV at all. But here are some possible landing spots for him, considering which coaches were on the hot seat this year.

Arkansas

Going from the Mountain West to the SEC could be a significant jump for some coaches. But Odom already has experience in the SEC, having coached at Missouri, where he went 25-25 from 2016-2019.

Sam Pittman is currently the head coach at Arkansas. The Razorbacks are 4-3 overall, but were 4-8 a season ago. If Arkansas stops winning games in the future and decides to go in a different direction, Odom would be a good fit for the job.

Florida

After a few successful years in Louisiana, Florida hired Billy Napier to lead the Gators. They made a bowl game in his first year there and lost in the Las Vegas Bowl to end the 2022 season, but they went 5-7 last year and are 4-3 to start this season.

Napier may not stay in Florida much longer if the Gators don't show improvement. And if Florida is looking for a new leader of the program and another successful G5 coach with experience in the SEC, Odom would make sense.

West Virginia

Neal Brown has been West Virginia's head coach since 2019. The Mountaineers have enjoyed just two winning seasons since then, including one last year when they went 9-4 overall with a win in the Duke's Mayo Bowl. But WVU is 3-4 so far this year, so Brown may be back on the hot seat if the Mountaineers don't go on a winning streak.

If not, and if West Virginia needs a new head coach, Odom wouldn't be a bad option. He has shown that he can turn a mediocre program into an outstanding program in a short period of time.

Baylor

Because they remained in the Big 12, many believed Baylor head coach Dave Aranda was on the hot seat this offseason. And he hasn't done much to show why he should stick around for much longer. The Bears are 3-4 overall, with only one of those wins coming against a P4 program, and they are 1-3 in the Big 12.

There are several Group of Five coaches Baylor could hire here, such as Liberty head coach Jamey Chadwell. But Odom should definitely be considered too.

Cal

Some think Cal head coach Justin Wilcox could be on the hot seat if the Golden Bears don't start winning more as they look at potential options closer to where Odom already is. They are 3-4 overall, with all of their losses coming to ACC teams in their first season in the league. Wilcox has been at Cal since 2017 and has led the team to just one bowl game since 2020, without appearing in the Associated Press Top 25 since then.

If Wilcox is fired, Odom would be a coach to consider. He has proven he can recruit and win quickly in this region of the country.