Another coordinator has followed Barry Odom from UNLV to Purdue, as James Shibest has been hired as the Boilermakers' new special teams coordinator, the program announced today.

"James is the top special teams coordinator in the game of football," said Odom. "He finds ways to create momentum for our team, and schematically he will give us an advantage. James was a national champion as a head coach at Butler Community College years ago, and his experience in college football shows up continuously in how his unit plays each week."

Shibest has been named FootballScoop's Special Team Coordinator of the Year twice during his career as he's established himself as one of the best in his field. The 60-year old comes from Las Vegas to West Lafayette after orchestrating one of the top special teams units in the nation for the Rebels, which included four punt blocks this season and produced a viral fake punt in the LA Bowl just a few days ago.

Shibest is now going on his 25th consecutive season as a special teams coordinator, dating back to starting at Arkansas from 2000-2007. He’s also made stops at Ole Miss, Memphis and Virginia Tech before following Odom to UNLV in 2023.

Purdue now adds a heralded special teams mind to its new staff heading into 2025 and has all three coordinator spots locked in with Shibest joining Josh Henson and Mike Scherer. Shibest also joins Scherer as the second coach from UNLV to come to West Lafayette, officially, today.