Barry Odom surprises Ethan Trent, brother of late Purdue superfan Tyler Trent, with scholarship | Sporting News

New Purdue coach Barry Odom has wasted no time in making a strong first impression.

The Boilermakers boss had his program going viral this week after surprising offensive lineman Ethan Trent with a scholarship at practice.

If that last name sounds familiar to you, thats because Ethans older brother, Tyler Trent, was a Purdue super-fan who died of cancer on Jan.

1, 2019.

Tyler Trents story captured the nation, with ESPNs College GameDay and others profiling his courageous battle.

Tyler Trents story helped raise more than a million dollars for cancer research.

Earned it every single day.

@EthanTrent05 is now on scholarship! pic.twitter.com/laZA1YcG6c The day GameDay aired its feature on Trent in 2018, Purdue upset Ohio State, 49-20.

Former Purdue coach Jeff Brohm had bonded with the Trents, promising Ethan he would have a preferred walk-on spot on the football team when he graduated high school.

When Brohm left for Louisville and Ryan Walters was hired, Walters kept that promise, leading to Trent committing in 2022.

"I just literally feel like I can see Tyler smile," the boys' mother, Kelly Trent, told The Athletic when Ethan committed .

"He would be his brothers No.

1 supporter, I have no doubt.

He would be front row, all the time, and so it just keeps Tyler right there with us on some level, and a lot of comfort imagining how supportive he would be of Ethan.

And I think that in a way helps Ethan feel love from him even more because Ethan knows how happy Tyler would be.

So we all can easily imagine that, and its just really exciting.

Odom, who was hired this offseason from UNLV, took it a step further, offering Trent a scholarship.

The 6-foot-2, 295-pound Trent appeared in three games last season for the Boilers.

He had initially chosen Purdue over Indiana State, an FCS school that was offering him a scholarship out of high school.

A little more than two years later, that bold bet is paying off for Trent, who is keeping his big brothers legacy alive at the school he bonded with like no other..

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