Ole Miss tight end anticipating day his brother can see him play
- Story byNortheast Mississippi Daily Journal, Tupelo
- Ole Miss tight end anticipating day his brother can see him play
OXFORD – Caleb Odom wants nothing more than for his 6-year-old brother, Kannon, to watch one of his Ole Miss football games in person.
That's easier said than done.
Kannon's heartbeat ceased in his mother's womb. He was clinically dead for 26 minutes. When he was eventually delivered and resuscitated, he was diagnosed with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, a severe brain injury from oxygen deprivation at birth, straining his development.
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Kannon is immobile, non-verbal and is feeding-tube dependent. He is monitored by his mother and nurses 24/7. Still, the family dreams of a day when Kannon can watch his brother at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium – a day that may be inching nearer.
"I think a lot of Caleb's drive is because of Kannon," Odom's grandmother, Daviea Taylor-Hicks, said. "Because I think he felt like if he makes it, then Kannon's going to be taken care of."
Odom, a junior tight end for the No. 12 Rebels (6-2, 4-2 SEC), is in the midst of a breakout campaign. But as his football career took off in high school in Georgia, his brother spent the first eight months of life hospitalized.
"You never know how much time people have," said Alden Parrish, who is Odom and Kannon's mother. "And so (Kannon) being a part of Caleb's football career and being there at his games means more to me than anything else."
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CFP Fiesta Bowl Football
Ole Miss tight end Caleb Odom scores a two-point conversion during the second half of the Fiesta Bowl NCAA college football playoff semifinal game against Miami, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Perhaps it's because he was nurtured by strong women that Odom is as thoughtful and caring as he is. That's what Taylor-Hicks believes.
Odom was raised in a single-parent household with help from his grandmother and aunt, Kelan Elizondo; he refers to the trio as his "three mother hens." Odom's father was in the United State Marine Corps but battled mental health issues upon returning from his deployments, Parrish said.
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"I'm just blessed that my mom stepped up and played both roles," Odom said. … "I always felt like the most spoiled kid."
Odom was a high-energy child, so sports were an outlet. He would ask his mother what NBA franchise he would play for when he got older. It would be the worst team, she told him, because he was going to be the first pick in the draft.
"We wanted him to feel loved, to know that he was loved and he was included and he was not lacking," Taylor-Hicks said.
While basketball was his passion, Odom found opportunities in football. He held more than 50 college offers coming out of Carrollton High School. Academically, he received his lone B his senior year.
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Odom thrived on the hardwood and gridiron, eventually committing to play football at Alabama. Parrish, meanwhile, received her sociology degree in 2019. The family's dreams were coming to fruition.
But in 2020 "life was just completely flipped upside down."
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Caleb/Kannon2
Caleb Odom and his brother, Kannon.
The chaplains circulating through the hospital room were ominous.
Parrish called Elizondo earlier that day and told her she hadn't felt Kannon moving. Elizondo, a nurse, told her to go to the hospital.
Taylor-Hicks and Elizondo joined Parrish. Elizondo helped her sister to the restroom, at which point the device monitoring Kannon's heartbeat came off. Upon returning, the device no longer registered a heartbeat.
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One nurse called for another. A doctor raced in and ordered a C-section. Kannon had been without oxygen for nearly 30 minutes.
"They were pulling wires out of the wall," Elizondo said. " … My sister's last words before she went back (were), 'Please don't let me die.'"
Odom didn't meet his brother until he was five days old. They were only allowed to meet face-to-face in case Kannon didn't survive.
"The chaplains and everybody were coming in, and it was almost like they were anticipating that he wasn't going to make it," Taylor-Hicks said. "And I would have to tell her all the time, you can listen to what they say. … But God has the final word."
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Kannon did make it, though it hasn't been smooth sailing. Caring for Kannon is a full-time job. A given day includes a strict regimen:
• Waking up at around 5 or 6 a.m. to administer medications and breathing treatments in addition to disconnecting him from the ventilator he depends on at night.
• His second set of medications are given in the afternoon through his feeding tube. He requires tracheostomy suctioning throughout the day.
• At 8 p.m., Kannon receives another set of medications and is placed on his ventilator while he sleeps. He depends on continuous tube feeds throughout the night.
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For the first part of Kannon's life, Parrish did not have the luxury of nurses. She was unable to hold a full-time job and estimates she made $250 a week.
As a freshman at Alabama, Odom used his NIL money to pay his mother's bills. The circumstances for the family have since changed; they won a lawsuit against the hospital for negligence and received a settlement.
But Parrish will never forget Odom's kindness.
"I think Caleb literally took care of us the entire year. He paid the rent every single month," Parrish said. " … I don't know how we would have done it without him. It's like everything was banking on Caleb."
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Caleb/Kannon4
Caleb Odom and his brother, Kannon.
The plan for Kannon's Vaught-Hemingway Stadium debut is in place.
Parrish will pack up an accessible van with Kannon and a nurse, drive in for the Wofford game and spend Thanksgiving week with Odom before taking in the Egg Bowl. The family is working on finding the best place for Kannon to sit, as he requires electrical outlets for his equipment.
"I'm probably going to be an emotional wreck. ... This is just something that I've wanted for so long, for Kannon to be a part of Caleb's football life," Parrish said.
Odom and his brother's relationship is gentle. Kannon can't speak but can identify family. He also recognizes his favorite television programming, which Odom lists effortlessly: "Yo Gabba Gabba" and "Sing 2."
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The relationship between the brothers doesn't look dissimilar from any other sibling interaction. It's Odom tickling Kannon's feet and neck. It's having no fear of lifting his brother up, despite the cords.
Parrish is at every Ole Miss football game; if Odom doesn't see her at the Walk of Champions, he calls her immediately.
Odom wants nothing more than to have his entire village at Vaught-Hemingway.
"Children with special needs are still children. They still deserve to be able to go to baseball games and football games. They don't need to be hidden behind closed doors," Elizondo said. " … (Kannon) is the completion of their circle."
