It's now 76 days until the kickoff of Catamount football on Saturday, August 30, 2025, against the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs in E.J. Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC.
To help pass those long summer days and get the Catamount faithful more excited about the upcoming season and more knowledgeable of the team members, we'll continue the football countdown each day until kickoff day.
No Catamount player is currently assigned to #76, so we will highlight a member of the Coaching Staff:
Jerry Odom
Title: Defensive Coordinator
Jerry Odom, a veteran collegiate football coach who spent eight seasons as the head coach at Tusculum University, joined the Catamount football coaching staff as the defensive coordinator in mid-December 2023.
A college teammate at the University of Florida and an assistant coach for Bell, Odom brings nearly 30 years of coaching experience at both the college and professional ranks to the Catamount program. He has mentored 16 NFL players and coached in five postseason bowl games including the Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl, and the Outback Bowl.
Odom’s career includes nine seasons as the defensive coordinator including three years at East Carolina and six at Jacksonville University.
“I’m extremely excited about the hire of Jerry Odom as our defensive coordinator,” said Bell. “We feel that adding Coach Odom to our defensive coaching staff will elevate us to a championship level on the defensive side of the football and ultimately help us bring a championship to Cullowhee.”
Over the past eight seasons at Tusculum, Odom guided the Pioneers football team to 42 victories, the third-most in the 75-year history of the program. He led Tusculum to the 2020 South Atlantic Conference (SAC) Championship as well as a pair of SAC Mountain Division titles in 2020 and again in 2023. He compiled six winning seasons with numerous victories over NCAA Division II nationally-ranked programs including two a season ago with wins over No. 24 Wingate and No. 25 Mars Hill that captured the SAC divisional crown and led Tusculum to a berth in the SAC Championship game this past season.
Odom’s Pioneer defense led the league with 17 interceptions in 2023, a mark that ranked 13th nationally in the NCAA Division II ranks, while TU's 22 turnovers gained were second in the SAC and 40th in the nation. Defensively, Tusculum averaged 3.36 sacks per game which was sixth most in the country while on special teams, the Pioneers recorded four blocked punts (1st in SAC / 8th in NCAA II).
All told, Odom mentored 55 All-South Atlantic Conference standouts, 11 All-Region performers and two All-Americans. A combined 26 of his players garnered Academic All-District accolades including Academic All-Americans Andrew Cantrell, Jackson Cauthen, and Evan Altizer.
Before taking the head coaching position at Tusculum, Odom was reunited with his former college teammate, Bell, at Jacksonville University in a return to the college coaching ranks. Odom served six seasons as the associate head coach at NCAA FCS Jacksonville University from 2010-2015 where he was the chief architect of some of the best defensive units in JU football history. The Merritt Island, Fla., product helped guide the Dolphins to a 47-19 overall record including a pair of 9-2 campaigns in his last two seasons.
In 2015, his defense led the nation for a second consecutive year with 20 interceptions, while also forcing 10 fumbles resulting in 30 turnovers gained, the third-best tally in the country. The Dolphins finished 2015 ranked 11th in team tackles for loss, 11th in team sacks (33), 12th in passing efficiency defense (104.7), 15th in scoring defense (19.1 ppg), 17th in red zone defense (68.4%), 23rd in total defense (326.2 ypg) and 23rd in rushing defense (127.4 ypg).
In 2014, Odom’s defense led the country with 24 interceptions and was the Pioneer League statistical champion for scoring defense (17.5 ppg – 6th in NCAA-FCS), passing efficiency defense (98.9 – 3rd in NCAA-FCS) and turnovers gained (33 – 2nd in NCAA-FCS). The Dolphins were also nationally ranked in total defense (334.5 ypg – 23rd in NCAA-FCS) and rushing defense (135.9 ypg – 19th in NCAA-FCS).
During his tenure at Jacksonville, 47 defensive players earned All-Conference recognition, including a Pioneer League-best 10 honorees in 2015.
Prior to joining the JU staff, Odom – a seven-year veteran as a player in the Arena Football League (AFL) – was the associate head coach and special teams coordinator with the AFL’s Philadelphia Soul from 2008-2009. The Soul tied the AFL single-season wins record with 17 victories while capturing the world championship in 2008.
Odom was also the head coach at Coffee County High School in Douglas, Ga. from 2005-2007. His teams posted a 22-12 record for the best three-year run in school history. After going 4-6 in his first season, the Trojans put together back-to-back nine-win campaigns for the first time. For his efforts, he was named the 2006 Region 1-5A Coach of the Year, which has been recognized as the toughest high school football region in the country by USA Today.
From 2003-2005, Odom was the defensive coordinator/special teams coordinator at East Carolina. While in Greenville, ECU led Conference USA in kickoff returns, punt returns, and kickoff coverage. While with the Pirates, Odom also recruited the likes of running back Chris Johnson, who went on to become the NFL’s leading rusher in 2009 with the Tennessee Titans.
After earning his coaching start as a graduate assistant at Florida in 1991, Odom returned to his alma mater in 2000 where he served as linebackers coach and special teams coordinator from 2000-02. Odom helped lead the Gators to a top-10 ranking in total defense in each of his three seasons in Gainesville. He mentored All-Southeastern Conference linebacker Andra Davis, who finished as a national semifinalist for the 2001 Butkus Award. His linebacker corps sparked a Gator defense that was ranked 18th nationally.
Florida went 28-10 during those three years, including a 10-3 record while capturing the 2000 SEC Championship and advanced to the Sugar Bowl. The 2001 team went 10-2 and knocked off Maryland in the Orange Bowl. Florida finished 8-5 the next year and earned a bid to the Outback Bowl.
He has coached at various high schools in Florida and also served as a graduate assistant at Texas Christian University under Auburn legend, 1971 Heisman Trophy winner, and former Samford head coach, Pat Sullivan.
Originally from Merritt Island, Fla., Odom played collegiately at Florida where he was a four-year letterman at inside linebacker for the Gators from 1987-1990. He started in every game in his junior and senior campaigns on a defense that was among the nation's top five in total defense in 1988, 1989, and 1990. He was an All-SEC Freshman Team selection in 1987 and was tabbed to the SEC Academic Honor Roll in 1990 while also serving as the Gators' team captain. He graduated from Florida in 1991 where he majored in health and human performance with a minor in education.
From 1992-1998, Odom played professionally with the AFL’s Orlando Predators for seven seasons as a linebacker/running back. He helped the Predators to four Arena Bowl appearances (1992, 1994, 1995, 1998) and won the title in 1998. He retired as Orlando’s career rushing yardage leader and ranked fifth in AFL history.
Odom is married to the former Donna Carter of Charleston, S.C. The couple have two sons, Reid and Clay.
College:
University of Florida – 1987-90
Professional Football:
Orlando Predators (Arena Football League) – 1992-98
Coaching Career:
University of Florida, Graduate Assistant – 1991
University of Florida, LB & Special teams – 2000-02
East Carolina University, defensive coordinator/special teams – 2003-05
Coffee County High School, head coach – 2005-07
Philadelphia Soul, associate head coach/special teams – 2008-09
Jacksonville University, associate head coach/defensive coordinator – 2010-15
Tusculum University, head coach – 2016-22
Western Carolina University, defensive coordinator – 2023-
