If Purdue is worried about allocating an extra $20+ million to its athletes once House settlements become official, they're not acting like it. The Boilermakers are set to pay their new head coach much more than they paid their previous one.
Barry Odom has signed a 6-year deal worth at least $39 million, according to documents obtained by the Indianapolis Star. Odom's salary will start at $6 million and top out at $7.25 million.
2025: $6 million
2026: $6 million
2027: $6.25 million
2028: $6.5 million
2029: $7 million
2030: $7.25 million
Odom is also eligible for up to $1.5 million in bonuses. Specifics for his assistant salary pool were not disclosed, with AD Ryan Bobinski saying, "We're committed to doing what's needed." Purdue paid Ryan Walters's assistants a combined $5.5 million; Indiana has reportedly committed $11 million to Curt Cignetti's staff.
Speaking of Walters, Odom's salary represents a 50 percent increase from the $4.05 million he earned in 2024.
The $6 million figure is, as expected, a massive raise from Odom's UNLV salary, where he earned $1.75 million this year.
Odom's coach-end buyout starts at $6 million and drops by $1 million each of the next three years, $2.5 million in 2029, and bottoms out at $2 million in 2030. The school-end buyout calls for Purdue to pay Odom 75 percent of the remaining contract if he's fired without cause, which starts his buyout at $24.75 million should Purdue move on after the 2025 season.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.