After leading the Cerritos College football team with 804 rushing yards, sophomore Carl Odom (West Jordan, UT HS) has committed to attending Angelo State University next season. Odom averaged a stellar 5.7 yards per carry, also scored nine touchdowns on the season. He rushed for over 100 yards three times this season, including a career-high 129 yards on 20 carries in the bowl win, along with a pair of receptions for 46 yards. Additionally, he caught 14 passes out of the backfield for 170 yards (15.5 average) and a touchdown. He becomes the seventh player to commit to a four-year school, as he joins Sebastian Hernandez (San Diego State University), TJ McMahon (Rice University), Kenny Miller (Lake Erie College), C.J. Parks, (Eastern Michigan University), Anthony Shipton (University of Illinois) and Jeremy Haywood (Dixie State University), who have also committed.

"With the whole coronavirus outbreak, I didn't get to go on any visits," said Odom. "But Angelo State is a winning program and they also have NFL prospects coming back this season. I wanted that chance to be around guys like that to better myself. The coaches just made me feel like they were gonna get the absolute best out of me and I know that's the type of coaching I need."

In his freshman season, Odom split time with the program's all-time leading rusher Rhamondre Stevenson (University of Oklahoma), which he felt made him a better player. He was limited to just 48 carries in his first year, but produced 233 yards and three touchdowns. Using his 6-1, 227-pound frame, Odom was asked to block for Stevenson at times, which helped his all-around game.

According to Odom, "My improvements, I think, came from just having a chip on my shoulder. I understood the offense more and what we were trying to do as an offense. That, along with the help of my O-Line, made the rest of the team better."

Odom displayed some of that power against several opponents. He bruised Moorpark College with a 66-yard touchdown run and powered past the College of the Desert in his 56-yard scoring play that helped him account for 103 yards on 15 carries. It marked the first time he broke the 100-yard barrier. The second time came in a spectacular performance against Ventura College in the Beach Bowl, where he ran for 129 yards on a career-high 20 carries. He may not have scored three touchdowns like freshman teammate Hinckley Ropati did. But it was his one-yard touchdown on fourth down late into the third quarter that put Cerritos in the lead for good.

As the season went on, he started to understand what it was like to carry a work load the way Stevenson did during the 2018 season when he ran for 2,111 yards.

"Playing behind Rhamondre was fun," continued Odom. "That's (my) big bro and watching him, I just saw the load you carry at running back at Cerritos. So I knew what was expected and I didn't feel too much pressure. I knew if I just do what I have to do, I'd be fine."

Odom will now be taking his newfound rushing style and approach to central Texas, where he will look to fill the dual role in the backfield that graduating senior Lloyd Howard did during their 8-3 campaign last season. He will balance time with returners Kaleb King and Daven Manning, who combined for 755 yards last season.

A confident player, Odom feels his skillset and work ethic will help him earn valuable playing time.

"I bring a lot of versatility to the backfield," said Odom. "I can run the ball, block and catch. So at Angelo State, I just wanna make an immediate impact however I can. I'm a guy that's gonna give it all I got every day, every play. I just can't wait to get to Texas."