Tom Allen Has Hoosiers Transitioning From Believing They Could to Expecting to Win

Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

The Indiana Hoosiers football program is coming off back-to-back winning seasons, two consecutive January bowl games and finished the 2020 season ranked 12th in the AP poll. They should be a preseason top-25 team when the polls drop later this summer. Indiana coach Tom Allen has turned the ship around and with that comes a change in mindset. No longer are the Hoosiers homecoming fodder that teams want to play or overlook before their next big game. The hunter has become the hunted and Allen, who has gotten his players to believe they can win, now expects them to win.

Allen has expected to win since he became the head coach in December of 2016, but it’s the outside perception that still sees the Hoosiers as the doormat of the Big Ten. That perception has changed after the last two seasons, but some are still not buying in.

“I think when we played in 2019 (we) showed some things and some teams that we play, especially from a media perspective, but I think if you talk to the coaches, you know there wasn't this big shock and all sudden we started winning some games you know in 2020 that we had won in the past it has been a, it's a gradual. It's been a process that you've been able to see as a coach, but I think there's no question it's a different mindset.” Allen said.

Going from believing to win to expect to win is not just a flip of the switch. There are challenges that Allen, his coaching staff and the players have to rise up to meet.

“It's hard to create that initial belief that you can actually do it.” Allen said. “And now the challenge is to create the expectation, and and, to me there's a big difference between believing something's gonna happen and expecting it to happen, and I still feel like that's what we're trying to grow as a program and so that's the things that's why I picked the one word ‘chase’.”

Allen chose the word ‘Chase’ as his program’s because it is the next step for them. They are chasing Ohio State and others for the Big Ten title.

“That one word Chase has been massive for us in this offseason” Allen explained. “We're, these guys are chasing greatness, every single day. And and that's the key. That's how you continue to build this program we're chasing greatness and recruiting, we're chasing greatness in the way our players attack, you know, their academics they attack the weight room they attack the, the things we do in indoor when we're training and running and doing all that stuff, those, those areas of our skill work that in the meetings or Leadership Council and elevating of our expectations of our players and what they do with their with their teammates over the summer.”

The 2021 season is still over 100 days away, but nobody would blame Allen and the Hoosiers if they get caught looking ahead to Iowa on Sept. 4. The Hoosiers have an axe to grid after Iowa’s AD Gary Barta was part of the CFP committee that snubbed the Hoosiers from a New Year’s Six Bowl. However, Allen knows these next few months could make the difference between wins and losses come the fall.

“All you do is focus on one (thing) at a time, and you put all your energy into that and right now all our energy is to how can we get better between today and when we start fall camp.” Allen said. “That's the whole focus, and right now we got three objectives for the month of May. For our coaching staff and everything we're working on and we'll have a goal for the month of June goals for the month of July and then get into fall camp so that's how we operate here and segment.”

If the Hoosiers can focus on the goals that need to be accomplished day in and day out, they should come to expect to accomplish their goals when the fall rolls around.