Barry Odom completes Purdue football coaching staff hiring former Boilermaker
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WEST LAFAYETTE — Purdue football will turn to a former Boilermaker player and first-time full-time assistant to direct its wide receiver group.
Offensive analyst Bilal Marshall will be promoted to wide receivers coach, Purdue announced Friday. In conjunction, Cornell Ford — receivers coach during Barry Odom's first season — will now coach running backs.
The moves backfill the opening created when Barry Odom fired running backs coach Lamar Conard this month.
Purdue also announced Zach Crabtree to offensive line coach and Kevin Kane to defensive coordinator/linebackers coach. It also announced defensive backs coach Charles Clark has taken on the defensive passing game coordinator title.
Marshall was already on staff as an offensive analyst working with the receivers. He rejoined the program after two seasons as receivers coach at West Virginia. In 2023, Mountaineers receivers Hudson Clement (21.82, third) and Devin Carter (17.56, 13th) ranked among the national leaders in yards per reception. Clement and Traylon Ray ranked in the top 20 of the Big 12 in the same statistic.
He previously spent time as a grad assistant at VMI and West Virginia.
Marshall played for the Boilermakers from 2013-16. He was the team's second-leading receiver as a senior, totaling 477 yards and three touchdowns on 40 receptions.
He takes over lead duties in a receiver room which was one of the Big Ten's least productive in 2025. Purdue ranked in the bottom third of the conference in receiving plays of 30-plus yards. According to PFF, the team ranked third worst in the league in drop percentage, though those numbers did improve in the second half of the season.
Among the receivers who could return next season are starting receiver Nitro Tuggle and regularly used reserves Corey Smith and Jesse Watson. One of last season's opening-day starters Arhmad Branch, already announced he plans to enter the transfer portal.
Ford followed Odom from UNLV, where he had coached the running backs for both seasons. UNLV ranked fifth in the country with 68 rushing touchdowns over those two seasons. In 2024, it ranked 13th nationally with 5.17 yards per carry.
A native of Gary, Ford also coached running backs on Odom's Missouri staff from 2016-19.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Bilal Marshall hired as Purdue football wide receivers coach, history, stats
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