It was 2014, Barry Odom had just accepted the defensive coordinator position at Missouri on the heels of his three-year stay at Memphis. Following a Miami Beach Bowl victory over BYU, Odom and his family flew to Orlando, where Gary Pinkel and the Tigers were preparing for their own postseason matchup against Minnesota in the Citrus Bowl.

Odom was an observer during the practices, after which, when he saw a freshman linebacker going the length of the field and doing up-downs under the direction of then defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, Dave Steckel. As Steckel towered over the rookie defender, Odom thought he may have his work cut out for him with what was going to be one of his players moving forward.

"So I said, 'Who's this kid?' He's a good looking linebacker, tall, could run, watching him during practice. I was like, 'He must be a troublemaker.' He doesn't remember what he did. He remembers doing them at the bowl site," Odom said.

The kid getting chewed out on the practice field? That would be the now Purdue general manager, Brandon Lee.

"It was me. I was that guy who was getting punished when he first met me. So, probably not the best look meeting your new defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. Then, little did I know that he was going to be my coach." Lee chuckled. "I was a pretty good kid, man, so I couldn't have done anything too bad."

Little did both know the relationship that would lie ahead.

Lee would go on to be a trusted member of Odom’s defensive unit in Columbia, becoming a three-year starter for the Tigers at linebacker, racking up 124 total tackles, 11 tackles for loss and seven pass breakups during his career.

The uninspiring first impression Lee made on his defensive coordinator, and ultimately head coach, was quickly pushed in the rear view mirror. Once Odom began coaching him, the now Purdue head coach realized the boxes Lee checked, both on and off the field.

"Then had a chance to start coaching him, and football IQ is off the charts, accountability, consistency, dependability, tough, really good football player, great teammate and a tremendous leader. Those are all kind of the qualities that he showcased as a student athlete," Odom said.