NORFOLK, VA (WTKR)- Norfolk State will have a new head football coach heading into the 2025 season.
The school has relieved head coach Dawson Odums of his duties, according to an athletic department release sent Tuesday.
The initial press release said that Odums had been "reassigned," but Norfolk State sent an amended release a little less than an hour after the first went out.
"I want to thank Coach Odums for his continued commitment and dedication to Spartan football," Spartans' Director of Athletics Melody Webb said in the release. "Since his arrival, he has become a valued member of our family and community, always representing Norfolk State with dignity and class. We wish him nothing but the best moving forward."
A national search for NSU's next head football coach will begin immediately, according to the school.
Odums ends his four year tenure as head coach with a 15-30 overall record. After a 6-5 campaign in 2021, the Spartans were unable to gain traction, suffering losing campaigns in each of the last three years, though did show some signs of improvement. This past Saturday's 53-21 defeat at South Carolina State capped off a 4-8 season, after finishing 2-9 in 2022 and 3-8 last year.
This past season, the Spartans finished at the bottom of the MEAC with 293.3 total yards per game, as well as in passing yards with 132.5 per contest. They led the conference in protecting the quarterback, however, allowing just 16 total sacks in their 12 games. Oscar Smith product Kevon King averaged 85.8 rushing yards per outing, good enough for third in the league and linebacker A.J. Richardson led the MEAC with 100 total tackles.
The head coach arrived at Norfolk State after a nine year stint as the head coach at Southern, where he led the Jaguars to one SWAC title and three additional appearances in the conference title game.
