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Odom receives raise, UA reveals contract details for new assistants

Barry Odom received a raise and extension to remain as Arkansas' defensive coordinator.
Barry Odom received a raise and extension to remain as Arkansas' defensive coordinator. (Arkansas Athletics)

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FAYETTEVILLE — After reportedly receiving interest from multiple schools this offseason, Barry Odom has received a one-year extension and significant raise from Arkansas.

The Razorbacks’ defensive coordinator will now be paid a total of $1.75 million through the 2023 season, according to a copy of his employment agreement obtained through an open records request by HawgBeat.

That is a 34.6 percent raise from the $1.3 million Odom was set to receive this year. It comes after he was reportedly considered for the same position at LSU and Texas.

Arkansas has also announced the contract details for the other three assistant coaches who were officially announced Thursday.

Tight ends coach Cody Kennedy and defensive line coach Jermial Ashley will be paid $300,000 annually, with Kennedy’s deal going through the 2022 season and Ashley's being a one-year deal.

Kennedy’s salary is equal to what former tight ends coach Jon Cooper was making at Arkansas, while Jermial is making $150,000 less than what Derrick LeBlanc was being paid.

Linebackers coach Michael Scherer, who was promoted from an analyst position, will receive just $175,000 in a one-year deal. His predecessor, Rion Rhoades, was making $225,000.

That salary makes him the lowest paid assistant on staff and it would have been the smallest among SEC assistants (excluding Vanderbilt, which is private and doesn’t release salary information) in 2020, according to USA Today’s database, but it is more than double the $75,000 he was making as an analyst.

It was previously announced that new wide receivers coach Kenny Guiton will make $300,000 annually in a two-year deal, similar to Kennedy. That is $100,000 less than his predecessor, Justin Stepp, made in 2020.

If none of the other assistants received a raise this offseason, Arkansas is set to pay its 10 on-field assistants a total of $5.375 million in 2021. That is a 2.9 percent increase from last season.

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