Barry Odom excited to make debut as UNLV football coach

Barry Odom has been looking forward to Saturday since Dec. 6, the day he was named UNLV’s football coach.

“I’m excited to be in this role, in the chair of being a head coach,” Odom said Monday. “I’m honored to have the opportunity to lead this team. I feel a great responsibility to get our program back to where we need to be — competing and winning championships.

“This will be the first step.”

Odom and UNLV will host Bryant University on Saturday at Allegiant Stadium. The Rebels will be leaning on a mix of veteran players and new ones.

Junior starting quarterback Doug Brumfield is confident the Rebels are set for a strong opening performance.

“I feel more prepared than I’ve ever been,” he said.

Brumfield said he’s excited to show off the impact of the offseason work the team has done. He added that he’s never sweat as much during preseason camp as

he did this year under Odom.

Junior linebacker Jackson Woodard has a lot of experience with an Odom preseason. He transferred to UNLV after spending the past three seasons playing at Arkansas in the Southeastern Conference as part of Odom’s defense.

Woodard — one of four UNLV captains, along with Brumfield, sixth-year offensive lineman Amani Trigg-Wright and senior defensive back Jerrae Williams — said practices have an SEC atmosphere, with an emphasis on physicality, conditioning and hard work.

“It’s amazing what (Odom) has done here already,” Woodard said. “He’s the same here as he was at Arkansas.”

While Odom is excited for Saturday, he’s also looking forward to putting his team through an in-season, game-week schedule. He said the Rebels have simulated parts of their in-season preparation in training camp and spring practices, so he believes they will adapt well as the season begins.

“Practice habits will become game-day reality,” Odom said. “That’s so true. If they’re good habits, they’ll show up when the lights are on, and if they’re bad habits, they’ll be exposed.”

Odom said the team is close to being fully healthy, and added the depth is developing on schedule.

Brumfield, Woodard and Odom said a win will be the main measure of success against Bryant. Odom said he’s ready to see how his team reacts to a competitive environment and told his players to be themselves on the field.

“If we prepare like it’s a nameless, faceless opponent,” Odom said, “we’ll get in position to take our team, play one snap at a time and do it with great energy and enthusiasm.”

Contact reporter Andy Yamashita at ayamashita@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ANYamashita on X.