Missouri football coach calls out Tennessee, other SEC schools for recruiting his seniors

Missouri coach Barry Odom said his 19 seniors have been “contacted and bombarded non-stop” by SEC coaches trying to lure them away from the Tigers in light of the program’s 2019 bowl ban.

NCAA rules permit rising seniors to transfer from programs facing postseason bans and gain immediate eligibility.

Odom called out his fellow conference coaches ahead of their annual meeting on Wednesday, singling out Tennessee as the most aggressive pursuer.

“Everybody is going to have a bad day,” Odom told CBS Sports, expressing his frustration at having to essentially re-recruit his own players.

“You combine that with somebody that — who’d we beat 51-17 this year? Tennessee? Yeah, those guys. They are non-stop reaching out daily (saying), ‘Hey, come here.’ The grass is not always greener somewhere else.”

Tennessee officials declined to comment on the situation when contacted by CBS Sports.

Missouri was hit with a bowl ban and recruiting restrictions on Jan. 31, related to an academic misconduct case involving a former tutor. The school is appealing the penalties.

So far, no Tigers players have transferred since the ruling.

–Field Level Media