With Sheridan Out, Where Does IU Go for the Next OC? Here are Our Thoughts

Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

Nick Sheridan, who was relieved of his duties Sunday, became the offensive coordinator after the departure of the outstanding Kalen DeBoer. When looked at objectively, his tenure has been a disappointment and the 2021 offense has been very poor. It’s not just a one season concern though because 2020 was concerning as well.

The Hoosiers beat Penn State but they only gained 211 yards in that season opening victory. The performance against Rutgers was okay and the offense was objectively good against Michigan in an impressive victory over the Wolverines. The second half of the Ohio State game was great but it represents the high-water mark in Sheridan’s tenure. The game against Maryland was an ugly win (349 yards but only 115 passing yards and 4.8 yards per attempt) and the offense was not the reason IU won at Wisconsin. The bowl game performance against a bad Ole Miss defense was lackluster but the concerns were mostly in the background because the Hoosiers went 6-2. In total, IU’s attack ranked 59th in the country and the 2021 offense is on pace to be well below that mark. The Hoosiers finished 13th in the conference in scoring average per game at 17.7 points per game and last in scoring in conference games at 10.4 points per game. IU also finished 13th in conference play in passing offense, 12th in rushing offense and last in total offense.

Tom Allen cannot let a toothless offense hinder the growth and development of the Indiana University football program and the numbers do not lie, Nick Sheridan’s offenses were sufficient. What should Tom Allen be looking for in his successor? Let’s begin with what he is unlikely to find appealing: air raid disciples. Allen is a defensive guy and I find it improbable he would be willing to move his program in the direction of the air raid and become incredibly pass-heavy. People will point to Western Kentucky’s offense and want to see that installed in Bloomington with a new OC but that won’t be happening. That type of system puts way too much pressure on a defense and I don’t believe Tom Allen would philosophically mesh with someone wanting to run that at IU. I think a few boxes need to be checked for most any candidate to be considered:

-Playcalling experience

-Proven success running an attack

-Shown the ability to play balanced football, moving the ball with the rush and the pass

The following should not be viewed as a “hot board” as it’s unknown what interest IU has in these coaches or what interest these coaches would have in IU. Rather, this is a list of candidates that I believe have profiles that could potentially make sense for Tom Allen and the Indiana Hoosiers. Someone on this list might end up being the eventual hire but my hope is the eventual hire shares some qualities in his profile that match the individuals on this list. We’ll begin with current Group of Five or lower-level coordinators that would presumably be open to a move up to the Power Five level plus one current G5 head coach that might be looking for a new gig soon:

Garrett Riley – SMU offensive coordinator - the younger brother of Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley. 2020 was Riley’s first season in Dallas and he helped quarterback Shane Buechele to a stellar senior season. SMU was ninth in red zone offense and in the top 20 in total offense, passing offense, scoring offense and third down conversion rate. He was the running backs coach for a 13-1 Appalachian State squad in 2019. As of November 15, 2021, SMU is 8-2 including a 42-34 win over TCU in Fort Worth and they are averaging 498.7 yards per game. Riley runs a balanced attack, throwing for 333 yards per game and running for 192.1 per game. The Mustangs average 75 plays per game which is up-tempo but not lightning quick enough to overly expose the defense.

Tim Cramsey – Marshall offensive coordinator for the past four seasons (including 2021) – Cramsey was the OC at FCS Sam Houston State in 2017 and the Bearkats led the nation in scoring with 43.3 points per game and 538.1 yards of total offense per game. He has called plays each season since 2009 (New Hampshire, FIU, Montana State, Nevada after playing at New Hampshire from 1994-1997. Marshall has had a prolific rushing attack in 2019 and in 2020, Marshall’s freshman QB Grant Wells was CUSA’s Freshman of the Year. As of November 15, Marshall is the twelfth-ranked offense in the country. They scored 49 on Navy, 38 on East Carolina, 30 on Appalachian State and 49 on North Texas.

Willy Korn – Coastal Carolina – the former Clemson quarterback is co-offensive coordinator for one of the best attacks in the country and is also the quarterback coach. He’s been with Coastal Carolina for five seasons and was promoted to co-OC in February of 2019. In 2020, Coastal led the Sun Belt with 37.2 points per game and converted 52.3% of third downs. Tom Allen is a big believer in the importance of time of possession and the Chanticleers also led the Sun Belt in that statistic in both 2020 and 2019. He was also recruiting coordinator and receivers coach at Charleston Southern and helped that group to a pair of Big South titles in the FCS. Head coach Jamey Chadwell has a big say in the offense so the concern would be whether or not Korn has had enough experience really running an offense as the chief playcaller to jump up to the Big Ten.

Barry Lunney Jr. – UTSA – Lunney began his coaching career at Bentonville High School in Arkansas as the offensive coordinator and then spent three seasons at Tulsa, two at San Jose State and eight years over two stints at the University of Arkansas. He primarily coached special teams and tight ends at Arkansas before heading to UTSA in late 2019. The 2020 Roadrunners went 7-5 behind a very balanced offense with 2,585 rushing yards and 215.4 rushing yards per game. UTSA is now averaging 446.2 yards per game and are sitting at 11-1 on the season. They scored 37 against Illinois, 31 against Memphis and 52 against Western Kentucky.

Seth Littrell – current North Texas head coach – There is chatter that the former IU offensive coordinator’s seat is getting warm in Denton. Despite going to four bowl games in five seasons, Littrell might be out as the head coach of the Mean Green. If he becomes available, he’ll be a hot commodity if he wants to move back to an OC role. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Kansas with Mark Mangino and then moved to Texas Tech and eventually Arizona. He called plays for the Wildcats in 2011 and then was at IU for two seasons (2012 and 2013) before going to North Carolina and having great success in Chapel Hill. He became the head coach at North Texas in 2016 and his offenses have been exceptional. Littrell took over playcalling duties for the 2020 season and helped his offense average 513.2 yards per game and 34.4 points per game. They were balanced, with a top 25 rushing attack and a top 25 passing attack.

Andrew Sowder – Kent State – The current OC at Kent State, Sowder played at Baylor and then coached running backs at West Texas A&M. In 2012 and 2013, he was the wide receivers coach at Eastern Illinois before moving with Dino Babers to Bowling Green. Instead of going to Syracuse with Babers, Sowder moved west to San Jose State and called plays for the first time. He took over as the offensive coordinator at Kent State in January of 2018 and immediately began to make an impact. His first season saw an increase of 11.2 points per game and a jump in yardage per game of 108.4 yards per game. The next season was a good one as well and then the Flashes led the MAC in yardage per game in 2020. Kent State played two Big Ten opponents in 2021 and only scored seven points against Iowa and 17 against Maryland so there would be understandable concern if Sowder was the pick. He’s included here because he developed a quarterback well in Dustin Crum and instantly and dramatically improved an offense when he took over. Kent State has another top-15 offense in 2021.

If IU were going to really be aggressive and go after P5 targets, here are a few:

Robert Anae – Virginia – this is a pipe dream as Anae is one of the brightest offensive minds in college football and a three-time nominee for the nation’s best assistant award (Frank Broyles Award). He’s been with Bronco Mendenhall for nearly two decades and the Cavaliers are innovative, creative and downright fun on offense under the veteran playcaller.

Doug Marrone – Alabama offensive line coach – The former NFL head coach (Jacksonville and Buffalo) is currently the offensive line coach for the Alabama Crimson Tide. Prior to joining Nick Saban’s staff (which is an endorsement in and of itself), Marrone was a head coach at Syracuse University and an offensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints, a team that led the NFL in yardage twice during his play-calling era. Would a bump up to playcaller plus leading the offensive line be enough to lure Marrone from Tuscaloosa?

Brian Hartline – wide receivers coach for Ohio State – the former Buckeyes wide receiver joined OSU’s staff in 2017 as a quality control coach. He was named one of the sports rising stars as the American Football Coaches Association tapped him one of its AFCA 35 Under 35 honorees. He has not called plays before so it’s a major risk but the upside is high and he has a lot of Big Ten experience. This is not a move I would make at this point in Tom Allen’s tenure and the program’s development because I think the Hoosiers need a guy that has called plays. However, Hartline is getting discussed as a rising star and he might merit investigation.

John Hevesy – running game coordinator/offensive line coach for Florida – Hevesy has worked with Dan Mullen for most of his career with stops at Utah, Mississippi State and Florida. He was a co-offensive coordinator at Mississippi State and has been an offensive line coach at a very high level for two decades. Mullen’s seat is scorching at Florida so it’s possible Hevesy would be open to a promotion at a different spot.

Warren Ruggiero – Wake Forest – Much like John Hevesy, Ruggiero has been specifically tied to one head coach. Dave Clawson is one of the best coaches in the country and he’s incredibly underappreciated. It’s unlikely Ruggiero is ready to move elsewhere but if the Hoosiers could make a huge offer to tempt him, perhaps he’d listen. Again, this is unlikely but he’s a man that matches exactly what Tom Allen should be looking for. Ruggiero is a proven and experienced playcaller that has changed his scheme to fit his personnel and he’s succeeded with lesser talent than some of the conference foes he’s battling. Since the start of the 2017 season, Wake Forest has thirteen games with 50 points or more and they’ve scored at least 35 points in each contest this season. The Demon Deacons are creative and well-balanced and his success with Jamie Newman shows he can make a guy like Donaven McCulley successful.

Mike Yurcich – Penn State – This is likely another pipe dream but be like Mario…follow me into the pipe. What happens if James Franklin takes the USC job? What happens if he takes the LSU job? Does Mike Yurcich go with him to that new destination? He does not have SEC or PAC-12 experience so maybe he wouldn’t be appealing to Franklin at either place? It’s a stretch but if that does occur and if Yurcich does not get a head coaching position, he’d be an absolute home run and there is a connection to Indiana. Yurcich became an OC in 2013 at Oklahoma State and in that timeframe, his offenses (Oklahoma State, Texas and Penn State) have led the FBS in yards per play. He is from Euclid, Ohio and attended graduate school at Indiana University, serving as a graduate assistant in 2003 and 2004 for the Hoosiers. Before that, he coached at Saint Francis from 1999 to 2002. If the dominoes fall, maybe he’d be interested and he’d certainly be worth giving a call to make him say “no”.

Justin Frye – UCLA OC – Justin Frye is currently the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach for the UCLA Bruins under head coach Chip Kelly. He went to Westwood in February of 2018 after five seasons as the run game coordinator and offensive line coach at Boston College. UCLA’s running game improved by 40 yards per game in 2018, posted five straight 200-yard rushing performances in 2019 and improved to 230.6 rushing yards per game in 2020 (12th in the nation). In total, the Bruins were 21st nationally in total offense during the abbreviated season. The 2021 season has been a bit of a disappointment for UCLA as they have averaged only 424 yards per game and sit 50th in offense. Prior to his work at UCLA, he had successful years for a  physical Boston College team with running back AJ Dillon. He’s a good candidate and particularly interesting because he is a native of Elwood, Indiana and played on the IU offensive line from 2002 to 2006 and then was a graduate assistant in 2007 and 2008.