Indiana Football Head Coaching Hot Board 4.0--Updated 11/29

Coaching Candidate Hot Board – 4.0 – Updated November 29, 2023

The Indiana Hoosiers are moving on from Tom Allen. Who are the coaches that could be candidates for athletic director Scott Dolson? Keep in mind, this list is an attempt to identify coaches we believe IU may look at and might have a chance to hire. 

Warmest Names

-Mike Hart – Michigan Running Backs Coach (added for Hot Board 3.0)

Matt Weaver at Peegs.com does an outstanding job and he has reported that former IU running backs coach Mike Hart is interviewing for the job. That does not mean Mike Hart will get the job and other interviews are occurring but Mike Hart is a candidate. Hart played Michigan and had an outstanding career that included a brief stint with the Indianapolis Colts in the NFL. He began his coaching career in 2011 and spent five seasons in the MAC before moving to Syracuse and then IU as the running backs coach from 2017 to 2019. He has been the running backs coach at Michigan and the run game coordinator for the past three seasons. Obviously, Michigan has had a great running game but how much of that can be attributed to Mike Hart? Hart is an impressive interview but he would need a really good plan in place for both coordinator hires and for how he plans to build the IU program for Scott Dolson to make this boom or bust move. 

- Paul Chryst – Former Wisconsin Head Coach

Another former Big Ten West head coach that is currently not a head coach, Paul Chryst is likely be examined by Scott Dolson. The 58-year old Madison native is currently a special assistant to Steve Sarkisian at Texas. He was fired from Wisconsin after a 2-3 start. Chryst was 67-26 in Madison but there appeared to be diminishing returns before his ouster. Chryst was 10-3 in 2015, 11-3 in 2016 and 13-1 in 2017. After another ten-win season in 2019, Wisconsin was 4-3 in 2020 and 9-4 in 2021. The Badgers won the Big Ten West three times in his seven full seasons and he was 6-1 in bowl games. The biggest concerns would be that Wisconsin relied on a physical smashmouth running game that is difficult to envision working in Bloomington. In addition, Chryst does not have a particularly engaging personality and he has not shown a willingness to adapt to a different style. If he learned some from Steve Sarkisian and hired a good offensive staff, Chryst could be successful. It was reported that Chryst interviewed with a search firm for Oregon State’s open position.

-Jason Candle – Toledo Head Coach (added to Hot Board 2.0)

The current head coach for the Toledo Rockets should have been included on the first hot board but he was left off for one reason: most coaches at Toledo succeed at Toledo. It is a program with better resources and a bigger budget than every other program they face in the MAC. That said Candle has head coaching experience, his offenses perform well and at only 44 years old, he is a young and exciting option. Previous Toledo coaches Matt Campbell and Gary Pinkel were both successful after leaving the Rockets so there is a history of Toledo coaches performing well at their next stop. The Rockets are currently 11-1 and averaging more than 35 points per game. The concerns would be that Candle has spent his entire career in Ohio, might lack the ability to beat foes that have more resources than his program does and he has no experience as a head coach or as an assistant in a Power Five conference. 

- Rod Carey – IU Offensive Coordinator (added to Hot Board 2.0)

Most IU fans will not be thrilled with the inclusion of Rod Carey but IU promoting Rod Carey from offensive coordinator to head coach is a possibility. There is no question Carey would love the opportunity to lead his alma mater and he did improve the offensive line during his stint as interim offensive line coach in 2022 and improved the offense since taking over for Walt Bell. Carey has head coaching experience at Northern Illinois and Temple with moderate success. It would be difficult to envision the hiring of Rod Carey as anything other than a sideways maneuver for IU football.

-Tom Herman – FAU Head Coach (added to Hot Board 2.0)

Herman is a hot name for IU right now. He has coached at Houston and Texas and has a career record of 58-30. However, he did finish the 2023 season 4-8 (3-5) with the Owls. That could be explained by the transition from Conference USA to the American Athletic Conference and losing expected starting quarterback Casey Thompson for the season but 4-8 is a slight concern. Herman would bring experience and name recognition to the Hoosiers. He is 5-0 in bowl games, including 2-0 in New Year’s Six Bowls. Herman is known as a bright offensive mind and a strong recruiter.

-Justin Frye – Associate Head Coach for Offense/OL Coach at Ohio State (moved here from “finalist” category)

Frye is from Elwood, Indiana. He played at IU and is only 39 years old. He worked at Florida, Temple (OL), Boston College (OL) from 2013-2017, UCLA (OL and OC), OSU (2022). Temple was 7th in the nation in rushing yards at 256.5 yards per game. His BC OL paved the way for the nation’s top rusher (Andre Williams)…in 2014, 254.7 rushing yards per game with just 21 sacks surrendered and two NFL drafted linemen. 2016 was ACC leading time of possession and in 2017 they ran for 220.4 yards per game and only gave up 15 sacks all season. At UCLA, worked with Chip Kelly and helped turn around UCLA’s offense. The Bruins have not been particularly successful since he left. Frye would take the IU job with open arms and he’s known as a very good recruiter. The staff he hired, particularly at OC and on the defensive side of the ball would be important. Justin Frye does not have head coaching experience, something that could be seen as a major strike against him. In addition, Frye has worked at places with talent and resource advantages (most recently, Ohio State). He would face the exact opposite at IU. All indications point to IU hiring someone with previous head coaching experience. That makes Frye a longshot at this point in time. 

- Chris Creighton – Eastern Michigan Head Coach

The EMU head coach’s name has been popping up more over the last 24 hours. He has a career record of 191-113 at stops at different levels of college football. Creighton 52-67 at EMU which was a program that was considering dropping football before he breathed some life back into it. He has taken the Eagles to five bowl games (1-4) and went 6-6 this season. He has one MAC West title. His previous stops include Drake (35-15) and Wabash (63-15). He has ties in the state of Indiana. However, the ties to Tom Allen are thick as Allen worked with Creighton at both Wabash and Drake. I don’t know if IU is looking to fully separate themselves from the Allen Era given the rest of the candidates, but Creighton and Allen are very similar.

How Big is the Budget? If IU Swings Big, These Candidates Could Be In Play

-Willie Fritz – Tulane Head Coach

The biggest knock on Willie Fritz is that he is 63 years old. If the age is not a concern, Willie Fritz becomes a major candidate. He reportedly makes less than three million dollars per season and has won every place he’s coached. Fritz was a major success at Sam Houston State when they were in the FCS and coached Georgia Southern through its transition to the FBS, going 17-7. Fritz was hired by Tulane in 2016 with the Green Wave program in the pits. They improved each season from 2016 to 2019 before dropping down to 6-6 in 2020 and 2-10 in 2021. Fritz bounced back in spectacular fashion, going 12-2 with a win in the Cotton Bowl over USC in 2022 and they are 10-1 (as of November 22) in 2023. Fritz runs a fun offense and his teams are tough as nails. 

-Curt Cignetti - James Madison Head Coach

The current head coach at James Madison, Cignetti is a winner in every sense of the word. He is currently 52-9 as a head coach with the Dukes and 119-35 overall as a head coach. Cignetti has been a hot commodity since transitioning JMU from FCS as three-time semifinalists and the first two years in the FBS have been terrific. The Dukes are a fun team to watch and Cignetti won at IUP in NCAA Division II prior to taking the James Madison job. He has coached at Pittsburgh, NC State and Temple and was a recruiting coordinator at Alabama prior to becoming a head coach. Cignetti would be a home run hire but he is 62 and could have other opportunities. Or, he could stay at James Madison and build the Dukes into a Sun Belt powerhouse.

-Note-

Hot Board 4.0 is trimmed down. We have added Curt Cignetti back to the list. He was inadvertently removed. We have removed Bob Chesney, Brent Vigen, Troy Calhoun, Manny Diaz, Will Stein, Dan Mullen, Barry Odom and Pat Fitzgerald from the board. Pat Fitzgerald was at least considered but is no longer a candidate. Sean Lewis was also removed.

Mike Hart and Justin Frye have jumped into the “warmest” category while Chuck Martin and Tom Herman have cooled off. We have also cut the “Wild Card” section.