Dawson Odums will not return as the head coach at Norfolk State, the program announced Tuesday.
"I want to thank Coach Odums for his continued commitment and dedication to Spartan football," AD Dr. Melody Webb said. "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."
Norfolk State completed a 4-8 season with a 53-21 loss to South Carolina State on Saturday.
Odums had led the program since 2021. That season proved to be his best; the Spartans went 6-5 in 2021 but finished below .500 in all three seasons afterward.
Norfolk State's hiring of Odums was considered a coup, as the program hired him away from Southern after a successful 9-season run there. Odums won one SWAC championship and played in three more SWAC title games, and went 5-1 in the spring season of 2021 before taking the Norfolk State job in April of 2021.
Odums was North Carolina A&T's defensive coordinator before joining Southern's program in 2011.
Norfolk State's struggles extend well beyond Odums, though. The Spartans' 6-5 finish in the fall of 2021 represents the program's best season since winning the MEAC and reaching the FCS playoffs in 2011.
Norfolk State says a national search to find its next head coach is underway.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.