Notes and Quotes From Tom Allen and Fred Glass's Bowl Announcement Press Conference

Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

Indiana Head Coach Tom Allen and IU Athletic Director took to the podium Sunday evening to announce Indiana’s bowl destination and Tom Allen’s new contract.

Notes:

- Indiana will play in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl against the Tennessee Volunteers on January 2nd in Jacksonville, Florida at TIAA Bank Field.

- Donavan Hale had a procedure and will not play in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl

Quotes:

Fred Glass Opening Statement:

“Today is a particularly great day, I can affirm officially what I think all of you know, is that Indiana University will be playing Tennessee Volunteers in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl on January 2nd. We're thrilled about that. The Executive Director Rick Catlin called me about 4:00 to officially offer us that opportunity, and we immediately accepted that. And I called my boss President McRobbie who was pleased and excited about the opportunity to go to Florida, and called Tom right after that.
Also excited first Florida Bowl ever for Indiana University, yet another first for Tom's team and we're excited to be able to play in Florida, only our third time playing in January when I think the eyes of the nation are particularly on us.
We have emphasized to our new friends at the Gator Bowl, we have 23,000 alumni who live within 300 miles of Jacksonville, that doesn't even include the snowbirds that are down there in the winter. I think we'll have a lot of folks already there, if you will, as well as I expect we'll travel great to the Gator Bowl. Not only because it is in Florida, but also January 2nd I think works very well for families. It was harder the day after Christmas in New York and it was harder in Santa Clara. This is a much easier push for our folks.
As many of you know, as we emphasized also to the Gator Bowl, folks, a Big 10 high, 26 of our players are from Florida, that grows to 34 if you just include the surrounding states. I think that will increase fan interest down there as well.
We're really excited to get another crack at the Volunteers. As you know, we played them close in 1998. Coach was telling me that Mark Hagen was on that team. It will be payback time particularly for him.”

On Allen’s New Contract:

“I will add my excitement for the new contract with Tom, it feels we moved on almost from that. It wasn't that long in the making. Thrilled to get that done.
Reflects a huge commitment to Tom, huge commitment to university football and very importantly a deep commitment that transcends me, transcends the athletic department, reflects engagement and support from the president and the Board of Trustees as well which also bodes well for the future of IU football.”

Tom Allen Opening Statement:

“I want to start by saying just really very thankful, blessed, appreciate the opportunity that Fred and our administration has given me with our new contract. To me it is a testament to our whole staff and what all that they're doing and how hard everybody is working, just the direction we're going, and it gives us tremendous confidence in the backing that we have. And as we share with recruits, it is a critical time of the year for that and had many on campus this weekend, to be able to share the direction that we're going and the confidence knowing that I'll be here for many years to come and that gives parents a lot of peace in knowing that fact. Just really appreciate it.
And want to also talk about the Bowl opportunity, just a tremendous reward for our players. They worked so hard. Just to be able to go to this particular bowl, the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, I know we have a couple of players, that being their home with Devon Matthews and Khalil Bryant living in Jacksonville. And as Fred mentioned there are many players in the southeast part of the country that we have on our roster, to be able to have them and a chance to play, you know, near their families and just to be able to have the first ever Florida Bowl opportunity is just pretty special because that state has been important to us in recruiting.
I just really am proud of our young men, proud of our coaching staff and really thankful for the opportunity we have been given with this Bowl and the chance to improve as a team as we have a young team that can take advantage of the opportunities in practice and get better. And then go down there, and try to get us a Bowl win against a very good football team that's improved throughout the season, playing their best football at the end and a lot of respect for the SEC and Coach Pruitt and what he's doing in Tennessee, a great opportunity, challenge, looking forward to it.”

Allen on the Impact the New Contract Has on Recruiting:

“I don't think you can put a price tag on that. It is huge.
I think many -- you get into the contract, you get into the point when you have a certain number of years left, and that becomes the question. Hey, are you going to be here? How long are you going to be here? You get asked that a lot in the recruiting process.
I can say with absolute confidence this is -- I just signed this contract at this particular time and this is what it means. There is no question it gives them tremendous confidence in the future. They just want to make sure that you're going to be the one coaching their son the whole time that he's here at Indiana. That's been put to rest with the new contract, and that's why it means a lot.
It is a tremendous investment by our University in our football program, and that's why it is so important and it is very much appreciated.”

Glass on the Contract’s “Evergreen Provision” in his Contract:

“A footnote on that maybe, while it has been mentioned, I think it has been overlooked a little bit that it is really an important component of that contract, the evergreen provision, where any year that Tom's team qualifies for a Bowl Game another year is added. Which is also a commitment to the longevity and hopefully the security and hopefully avoids the question of coach, you don't have many years left because my expectation we won't get to that point.
That's something frankly Tom's representatives didn't ask for, that's something I wanted. I wanted to have that commitment out there again, an institutional commitment, not just an athletic department commitment.”

Allen on Being the Only Bowl Game on the Night of January 2nd:

“It is a national stage that you get to play on against a nationally recognized football program and a nationally recognized Bowl. All of those things combined, and the time of year, as you mentioned, when we have a chance to be the one thing that everybody is watching, when we're at home, and I just -- you know, being raised in a home of a coach, watching all of these Bowl Games since I was young. You have to remember, to me it just means a lot. You know, you just sit there, you dream of one day being in that situation, to be a part of one of those either as a player, a coach. Now to have that is pretty awesome. I know our guys feel that way.
The location, it is huge. So many of our guys are from the southeast, and they wanted a Florida Bowl really bad. You never know how it all is going to play out. There's a lot of variables that go into which Bowl you get selected to play in.
I do know that just a great reward for a lot of hard work, for a lot of individuals on the team and the coaching staff and training staff and all the guys that have helped us, recruiting staff, everyone.
The practices, you can't put a price tag on that either. We're a young football team, to have those extra practices now are going to be huge for us. You basically of have a whole set of spring practices in addition to what we'll have afterwards in April, May.
Then the chance to continue to build on the momentum we have in recruiting and to be able to get recruits to be able to watch us and just take advantage of all the benefits of being in a Bowl, and that time of the year when everybody else is sitting there watching.”

Allen on the Tennessee Football Team:

“Have not watched them really on film. I have seen a couple -- when you sit, watch games throughout certain Saturdays, I have seen a little bit of that, but not much.
I did know that they finished really strong, you know, and we recognize that's about doing a great job as a coaching staff. You know, when you have a chance to improve and you play your best football at the end of the season which is what you want to do, that's a sign of a really well-coached team.
And I know Coach Pruitt is an excellent football coach himself, and has done a systematically very good job of rebuilding that program there. I know he has a tremendous resume and has been a lot of great places and coached a lot of great football teams.
A lot of respect for their program. Obviously a ton of respect for that conference. I have coached in it myself several years ago. Just understand the kind of athlete we'll be playing against, and really excited for that challenge and that opportunity.
I know we don't have a lot of schematic thoughts about them yet. I haven't watched them. We'll start that process here real soon when we get through with recruiting and get our laptops rolling on all that information.
I do know that they'll be a very well-coached team, very athletic football team, physical football team, and we'll have to play our best football to get that very precious Bowl win that we want so bad.”