Mizzou football promotes Ofodile to on-field assistant coach

Mizzou football coach Barry Odom has promoted A.J. Ofodile to the position of assistant coach. After two seasons as the director of recruiting, Ofodile will move to an on-field role as the Tigers’ 10th assistant.

In a release, Ofodile said:

“I’m very excited for the opportunity to continue to contribute to the success and growth of this program,” said Ofodile. We have outstanding young men who believe in Coach Odom’s vision for their program and it is exciting to have the opportunity to work with our kids more directly going forward. The future of Mizzou Football is very bright and I’m excited to take on a new role and contribute to its success wherever I’m asked.”

Barry Odom said:

“A.J. has been a very vital member of our staff the past two years,” said Odom. “I’ve leaned on his input in a lot of areas, and he’s constantly made our program better. He’s a loyal guy who cares about our kids and making Mizzou the best it can be. I’m excited to have him on board with our coaching staff, and am looking forward to how he can help us improve. His career as a player at the college and NFL levels will be very valuable as well as his previous coaching experience. The past two years overseeing our recruiting department has provided great results for us on the field, and he will certainly continue those efforts in his new role,” he said.

Before taking the role as director of recruiting at MU, Ofodile was the head coach at Columbia’s Rock Bridge High School. In 2013, The 44-year-old took the Bruins to the state championship game for the first time in 20 years.

Ofodile is also a former Mizzou football player. The Detroit, Mich. native finished his MU career as a tight end with 73 receptions for 851 yards and six touchdowns. The Buffalo Bills drafted Ofodile in the fifth round of the 1994 draft. He spent six seasons in the league, playing for the Bills, Steelers and Ravens.