Over the weekend, Tusculum (D-II - TN) head coach Jerry Odom announced his decision to step down to pursue another opportunity.
Sources share with FootballScoop that other opportunity is as the new defensive coordinator at Western Carolina (FCS). Matt Zenitz has reported the same.
Odom, who has previously coordinated special teams at the FBS level at Florida and East Carolina, announced his decision to resign after eight years and back-to-back winning seasons, via a long letter posted on social media.
In that letter, he laid out some of the stark realities of being the head coach at the small, private Division II program located in east Tennessee.
Among the challenges he shares are having to sleep on couches in recruiting and only recruiting in areas where your coaches live to so they can save money, sharing the indoor facility with 24 other sports, and having to hire coaches 30 or younger because of the low salaries available. Those coaches will also have to wear multiple hats like painting the fields, helping with equipment and being an academic advisor to their players.
On a positive note, Odom shares that the next head coach will be set up with more resources and competitive scholarship packages, and raves about the leadership at the school, despite the many challenges.
See his full letter below.