This is an open letter, one extending my humblest apologies to University of Missouri head coach Barry Odom.
I apologize for not fully believing in you after your passionate speech following the home loss to Auburn. You believed that you were going to turn things around and start winning with this staff and this roster.
Fact of the matter is, getting this program back on track was a bigger task than most of us bought into. There was a lot of talent and experience that was lost from the back-to-back SEC East Championship teams. The last two recruiting classes under Coach Gary Pinkel (2014, 2015) have been underwhelming. These two classes combined featured only two recruits from Texas, both of whom were rated 2-star recruits. A pipeline that produced so many productive players for the program had receeded into nothing.
I apologize for doubting your understanding that the offense needed time to adjust and grow. You believed in Coach Heupel and his system, an entirely new offensive system, one that featured many inexperienced players in 2016. The right players are every bit as important as the offensive system itself and you saw that the right players are there.
I apologize for doubting your abilities to fix our once prideful defense that had fallen on very hard times from last season's scheme change. Putting the right players into the right position in this defense took time to figure out. You knew that the players could be more productive than they had been earlier in the season with a few tweaks here and there.
Coach Odom, you are tough enough to handle the heat and bold enough to make the tough decisions for the betterment of the team and that makes you the right man to lead this program.
