Upon his arrival to West Lafayette, Purdue defensive backs coach Charles Clark was tasked with overhauling the secondary of the Boilermakers, one that played a significant role in being one of the worst passing defenses in the country last season. To add insult to injury, the Boilermakers saw their All-American safety split for Oregon, four other starters hit the portal and leave just 249 combined snaps of experience in the depleted secondary coming into 2025.
After having no prior connection to Barry Odom, Clark packed his bags and moved from Memphis to Purdue for the opportunity to run his own room in the Big Ten, and hit the recruiting trail as hard as any Purdue assistant during the winter portal window.