Kevin Wilson Got Indiana Out of the Fog, But It's Time to Trust Tom Allen

Written By Evan McShane (@reasonable)

It has been a whirlwind of a year for Indiana Hoosiers football. Fans saw IU reach a bowl game for a second consecutive season – the program’s first back-to-back bowl appearances since Bill Mallory’s 1989-1991 teams. After the 2015-2016 season, quarterback Nate Sudfeld, running back Jordan Howard, and offensive lineman Jason Spriggs were all selected in the NFL draft. Despite losing a wealth of offensive talent, Indiana’s emergence on the defensive end allowed the team to enjoy some success last season. As we all now know, the defensive improvement can be credited to first-year defensive coordinator, Tom Allen. The turnaround was in full-effect following a massive, confidence-building win against Michigan State to open conference play in October. Indiana is no longer a team opponents can look past and walk over. Although they came up short in both bowl games, the promise surrounding Indiana football is certainly evident. The transition from bottom-dweller to up-and-comer hasn’t been seamless. Between the abrupt head coaching change in December and the positional coaching turnover that soon followed, it’s reasonable for questions to be raised about the future of the program. Tom Allen’s on-field success is yet to be determined, but nearly everything that’s transpired under his tenure at head coach thus far has been positive. Fans have every right to be excited about the future of the Indiana University football program now that it’s solely in the hands of Tom Allen.

Indiana has finished above .500 just once in the last 22 years. After some terrible luck throughout 2000’s, the program was in desperate need of a complete overhaul. When Indiana hired Kevin Wilson in 2011, it was close to a perfect fit. Wilson had been Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator in some capacity from 2002-2010. During that time, Oklahoma won six Big 12 championships and reached the national title game three times. He engineered some of the most prolific offenses college football had ever seen, and the hope was that his success would translate to IU. Kevin Wilson’s inaugural season as Indiana’s head coach yielded a 1-11 record; 0-8 against Big Ten teams. However, Wilson resurrected Indiana from a one-win team to bowl-bound in five seasons. It takes a special individual to walk into a losing culture and turn things around from scratch. That’s what Wilson and his staff were able to do over the course of six years.

The improvement was gradual, but undeniable. Recruiting started to turn a corner. Wilson began to develop an identity at Indiana. Up-tempo, no-huddle, run-and-gun offense. The system put in place by Kevin Wilson, former running backs coach Deland McCullough, former offensive line coach Greg Frey, and the rest of the coaching staff put fear in opposing defenses and consistently sent Hoosiers to the pros. Wilson, known to have somewhat of a short fuse, isn’t the type of guy to take no for an answer. Old-school, no excuses and no nonsense. It was the type of attitude required to revive a football program. The same principles Wilson used to instill change in the Indiana football program ultimately led to his departure. He resigned in December 2016 amidst philosophical differences, as eloquently stated by athletic director Fred Glass. One could argue that Indiana football wouldn’t have improved over the last six years without Wilson and his antics. However, that same individual could also argue that those antics grew tiresome and Wilson’s time had simply run out at Indiana University. Regardless of your stance, it’s only logical to appreciate what Kevin Wilson was able to do for Indiana University, and move on. It’s time to get excited about Tom Allen and the new era of Indiana Hoosiers football.

Six years ago, Kevin Wilson was the right guy to steer Indiana out of the mud, but Tom Allen is the right guy to keep things rolling in 2017 and beyond. As evidenced by the dramatic culture change on the defensive end of the ball last year, Allen appears primed to lead the Hoosiers to the next level now that he has full reign over the program. Fred Glass described Allen accurately when introducing him as head coach. Glass stated, “He is a leader of men that I think can translate and extend beyond onto the whole program. He is demanding and has a very high standard that is not demeaning. He cares about his players, and they care back.” When Tom Allen was first hired as defensive coordinator, he met individually with each defensive player to get to know them as people. “It wasn’t a football talk. It was a personal talk.” Those were the words of Marcus Oliver, former linebacker who is currently pursuing an NFL career. Chris Covington said of Allen last year, “He really cares about us, he’s like a father figure to us. We believe in him and the direction we’re going.” What Allen learned is that his players didn’t trust each other or believe in themselves. That all changed as Indiana gave up 25 fewer touchdowns than in 2015. Allen took an Indiana defense that was ranked 121st and turned them into the 37th best defense in the country in just one season. That was the most impressive turnaround a Division I NCAA football team has had, but that’s not good enough for Allen. “Great improvement last year defensively, from 2015 to 2016. We were not satisfied with that. We want to be a top 25 defense. That's our goal.” He knows how to get the most out of young players in today’s game. He understands a kid is going to bust his tail for you if he truly believes you care about them as a person. Allen truly cares about his players – not just as football players, but as people. It’s how Allen consistently gets the most out of his players this day in age.

A spirited and impressive performance against a talented Utah team in the Foster Farms Bowl was the first sign the transition at head coach from Wilson to Allen would be a smooth one. The next obstacle Allen tackled came in the form of recruiting. He passed this test with flying colors as Allen was able to retain all but one of Wilson’s original commits. Despite experiencing losing nearly every offensive positional coach, he kept his recruiting class nearly 100% intact. This was a remarkable feat given the circumstances surrounding the program at the time. During the press conference on National Signing Day, Allen was asked about the key to keeping everyone committed. He answered, “Relationships. There is no question about it. I think the key to that was they were built a long time ago. We staff recruit. So when you staff recruit, guys are going to get other jobs. It's part of the profession. They get opportunities, guys that are position coaches want to be coordinators, guys that are coordinators may have a chance to be head coach. Those things are going to happen so I learned a long time ago you better staff recruit and when you staff recruit they know everybody so if someone leaves, it's not like the one guy that I felt connected with is now gone so I now look elsewhere.” Allen seems to have a good grasp of what it takes to sustain success in the ever-changing environment of college football.

Allen recruits players who share similar values. Allen described this incoming class as “high character guys from really good families.” Those family values are what Allen has carried with him his whole life. It’s why you hear him, his staff, and his players talk about how they’re not just a football team – they’re a family. Allen has also preached unselfishness. “I don't truly care who gets the credit. I care that this team is successful. That's the attitude that I wanted. That's what I wanted in our team.” That culture is based on trust, accountability, and genuine compassion for each other. Allen has two simple philosophies he uses to unite his players. They consist of one acronym and one word. The acronym is L.E.O., and it stands for “Love Each Other.” He used this mantra to build trust within the defense last year, and it has been adopted by the entire team since he’s taken over as head coach. The “One Word” philosophy is a single word by each individual player and staff member. The word pertains to what that individual is focusing on to improve or to achieve a goal. This year, Allen and the Hoosiers word is breakthrough. He has challenged each individual player to pick a word of their own. They’ve responded.

Tom Allen set the tone for a breakthrough immediately following the loss to Utah in the bowl game – his first ever D1 college football game as a head coach. Following the two-point loss, he said, “We’re tired of being close, I’m just ready to see us breakthrough.” Tom Allen has experienced breakthroughs at almost every step of his coaching career. Some pedants may find themselves concerned with Allen’s lack of head coaching experience at the college level. The last time he served as head coach of a football team was at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis over a decade ago. While this is true, it should be noted that success has followed Tom Allen everywhere he’s gone. He was a member of three state championship teams at Ben Davis High School. Allen played a part in conference championships at Wabash College, Lambuth University, and Arkansas State. Where Allen goes, Allen wins. As a linebackers coach for Ole Miss, Allen helped engineer one of the top defenses in the country, leading the nation in scoring defense in 2014. You get the idea. Tom Allen commands productivity from his players regardless of where he’s coaching or who he’s coaching. He connects with his players and immediately forms a bond with them. His ability as a leader of men has proven successful at the high school level, Division III, and Division I. Tom Allen has been winning at every level of football he’s had the chance to participate in.

Seemingly, every step of his football coaching career has prepared him for this job. One reason Indiana didn’t need to conduct a nationwide coaching search to replace Kevin Wilson may have had to do with Tom Allen’s deep ties to the state of Indiana. At Big Ten Media Day in Chicago, Allen opened with, “First of all, honored to be here and representing Indiana University, my home state. Born and raised in Indiana. Played high school football in Indiana. Coached high school football in Indiana for many years, and my dad was a long-time high school coach in the state of Indiana. So strong, strong ties to my home state. Very proud and humbled to be representing Indiana University here today.” A program like Indiana needs a man like Tom Allen. He understands the state. He understands the importance of fostering relationships with high school programs and coaches in order to recruit the state better than ever before. This appears to be his dream job as he feels comfortable back home again in Indiana. Hoosier fans should be confident as ever with Tom Allen leading the way.

Love Each Other. Breakthrough.