Report: Bobby Petrino Hired as UNLV Offensive Coordinator on Barry Odom's Staff
Dec 15, 2022
FAYETTEVILLE, AR - SEPTEMBER 17: Missouri State Bears head coach Bobby Petrino before the college football game between the Missouri State Bears and Arkansas Razorbacks on September 17, 2022, at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas. (Photo by Andy Altenburger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
New UNLV head football coach Barry Odom is reportedly hiring Bobby Petrino to serve as his offensive coordinator, according to Chris Low and Adam Rittenberg of ESPN.
Petrino has been Missouri State's head coach for the past three seasons, guiding the team to two FCS playoff appearances.
Petrino, 61, will bring a wealth of experience to Odom's staff. His previous stops included stints as the head coach at Louisville (2003-06, 2014-18), Arkansas (2008-11) and Western Kentucky (2013) at the collegiate level and the Atlanta Falcons for 13 games in the 2007 NFL season before quitting to take the Arkansas job.
He's gone 119-56 in his collegiate head coaching career but was just 3-10 in the NFL.
His time in coaching has not been without its controversies, however. Arkansas fired him in 2012 for misleading the school about an extramarital affair and a motorcycle accident he bad been in.
His second stint included the Lamar Jackson years, though Petrino was fired in 2018 after the team started just 2-8.
But his offensive prowess precedes him, and should make the UNLV attack dangerous.
"Having coached against him—the things they do on offense, the way his players are coached—it's phenomenal," Alabama head coach Nick Saban told ESPN this summer when speaking about Petrino. "... He's one of the toughest guys I've gone against."
New Louisville coach Jeff Brohm concurred.
"He could take a group of college students on an intramural team, put them out there on the field and help them win games," he said.
UNLV is undergoing a period of turnover after firing former head coach Marcus Arroyo, who went just 7-23 with the program. Former Arkansas defensive coordinator and Missouri head coach Odom was hired to the post on Dec. 6.
The expectation will be that Petrino has a nearly full run of the offense, given his experience.
UNLV QB Max Gilliam Apologizes for Eating Sushi Off Naked Model on 'Below Deck'
Dec 7, 2020
UNLV quarterback Max Gilliam (6) throws against Nevada during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
UNLV quarterback Max Gilliam issued an apology on Twitter after he was shown at a dinner where sushi was presented on a nude model for the Bravo reality series Below Deck.
"I would like to apologize for my poor judgement while on the TV show Below Deck and acknowledge that I have made a mistake that I will learn from. While it was not my idea nor any of my friends ideas to eat sushi off a model, I should have exercised better judgement and declined the idea immediately when it was brought up by the producers."
TheLas Vegas Review-Journal'sAdam Hillprovided some more context regarding Gilliam's involvement on the show, which focuses on the members of a crew aboard a yacht and their interactions with people who charter the vessel:
"[Gilliam] appeared with his childhood best friend, Dax Nittolo, another friend identified on the show only as Luke, and their three girlfriends. They chartered the boat out of Jolly Harbour, Antigua.
"Dinner on the first night was the highlight of the episode. A world-class chef describes with painstaking detail her sushi preparation but expresses frustration her efforts may have been wasted on a group that seems far more infatuated with how it was served.
"They had requested the sushi to be laid out on a nude model, who had to be picked up from shore and adorned in large leafs before rice and raw fish were placed over her."
Per ESPN Las Vegas'Tyler Bischoff, UNLV head coach Marcus Arroyo said the school wasn't aware of what unfolded on the show until recently and that officials are "reviewing the matter internally." Citing local media reports, Hill noted the show was filmed in February and March, so Gilliam didn't run afoul of any COVID-19 protocols.
Hill wrote it doesn't appear Gilliam committed any NCAA violations, even though he was identified as the "star quarterback at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas."
The Thousand Oaks, California, native transferred to UNLV in 2018 after attending junior college at Saddleback College. He made 11 appearances during the 2018 season but didn't get on the field last year.
Through five games, Gilliam has thrown for 599 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions in 2020. The winless Rebels have their final game Saturday on the road against Hawaii.
