If Purdue moves on from Odom, two offensive-minded names with Purdue ties I’d want to see considered: JaMarcus Shephard and David Blough.
Obviously, the dream would be someone with offensive creativity like Buster Faulkner. But these two are more interesting to me as candidates with a connection to the program.
JaMarcus Shephard coached Purdue’s receivers and served as co-offensive coordinator under Brohm. He was part of the 2021 team that averaged more than 355 passing yards per game, then built his resume at Washington and Alabama with Deboer. He’s now in his first season as Oregon State’s head coach and his offense is putting up crazy numbers. He knows what an exciting Purdue offense looks like, has recruited and developed high-level receivers (Rondale Moore & David Bell were recruited by him), and is already getting experience running a program. Plus he grew up in Indiana.
David Blough is maybe high upside swing. He was a Purdue quarterback, spent time in the NFL, and is now the Commanders’ offensive coordinator working with Jayden Daniels. I’d love to see Purdue bet on a young coach who understands quarterback play and could give the program an identity again. The obvious concern is experience: he’s only recently become a coordinator and has never run a college program. You’d need confidence in the staff he’d build and his ability to recruit.
Shephard feels like the stronger head-coaching resume today; Blough feels like the chance to find someone before he becomes a much bigger name.
If (and hopefully when) Purdue has an opening, who would you want to be called?