Derrick Odum, the longest-tenured defensive coordinator in San Jose State historical past, has been fired with two video games remaining, the workforce introduced Monday.
Odum had overseen the Spartans’ protection since 2017, Brent Brennan’s first season. He had additionally been SJSU’s affiliate head coach for the previous eight seasons.
Inside linebackers coach Bojay Filimoeatu will function interim defensive coordinator for the Spartans’ remaining video games: Saturday at conference-leading San Diego State and Nov. 29 at dwelling towards Fresno State. The college additionally introduced that Joe Palcic, the senior soccer analyst and particular groups coordinator, additionally had been faraway from his duties. Palcic was in his third season with the Spartans.
“We appreciate the contributions Derrick Odum and Joe Palcic have made to our program and wish them and their families the very best,” head coach Ken Niumatalolo, who’s in his second season at San Jose State, stated in a launch issued by the varsity. “At this time, we believe a change is necessary to reinforce our commitment to excellence for our student-athletes, staff, and community. As a team, we remain unified in our mission to compete at the highest level and uphold the Spartan standard.”
The Spartans are 3-7 total and 2-4 in Mountain West play, a part of a three-way tie for eighth within the 12-team convention. The workforce was picked to complete third within the Mountain West preseason media ballot and was making an attempt to develop into bowl eligible for the fourth consecutive season and fifth time in six years.
San Jose State’s hopes of changing into bowl eligible had been formally dashed on Saturday in a 55-10 loss at Nevada. The Wolf Pack entered the sport with a 16-game convention shedding streak and, statistically, one of many least efficient offenses within the Mountain West. Nevada grew to become the seventh opponent this season to amass at the very least 400 yards towards the Spartans. SJSU is ninth within the convention in complete protection and has allowed 40 touchdowns, tied for probably the most with UNLV.
Odum helped construct a protection that allowed simply 17.8 factors per recreation through the Spartans’ 2020 Mountain West Championship run. The Spartans had been the second-best protection within the Mountain West when it comes to yards per recreation allowed in 2023 with Odum because the play caller.
The Spartans protection had been recognized for making huge performs underneath Odum. Final season SJSU had 28 takeaways, probably the most within the Mountain West fifth within the nation. This season San Jose State has compelled 11 turnovers, however the offense has misplaced 10 fumbles and thrown 10 interceptions.
4 of San Jose State’s first 5 losses this season had been by a landing or much less, and the Spartans led within the fourth quarter in every of these video games. San Jose State blew a 12-point lead at Stanford, allowed 21 unanswered factors in a 35-28 loss at Wyoming. The previous two video games the Spartans have been outscored 81-26.
Odum arrived at SJSU in 2017 with Brennan from Oregon State, the place he had been the Beavers’ defensive backs coach. He entered the season because the fourth-longest lively tenured defensive coordinator within the FBS stage. He has coached on the faculty stage for 26 seasons in all.
Beneath Odum, 48 Spartans defensive gamers earned all-conference awards and 9 had been chosen within the NFL draft.
