Indiana fires head football coach Tom Allen

Tom Allen has been let go as Indiana head football coach after 7+ seasons at the helm, the school announced Sunday. The Hoosiers have gone just 9-27 over the last three seasons and have just 3 total Big Ten wins since their breakout 2020 season, in which they were ranked as high as #7 in the country.

AD Scott Dolson said: “After continued evaluation of our entire football program, I have determined that we have lost momentum and that a change in leadership is necessary at this time. I want to thank Tom for all of the contributions he has made to IU in his seven years leading our program. His passion, character, and class made a positive impact on our student-athletes. We wish him well in his future endeavors.”

Allen’s 2020 team in the pandemic-shortened seasons is one of the best in recent Indiana program history, thanks in part to playmakers like current Heisman hopeful Michael Penix Jr, who transferred out of Bloomington after a disastrous 2021 season and is now flourishing at Washington as one of the nation’s best quarterbacks. He plays for Kalen DeBoer, a rising coaching star who actually served as OC at Indiana for the 2019 season when the Hoosiers went 8-4 in the regular season and earned a trip to the Gator Bowl.

But the tides turned quickly in Bloomington and Indiana has once again been at the bottom of the league for the past several years. Allen was owed over $20 million in buyouts, but Dolson announced Sunday that the number had been negotiated down to $15.5 million with a quicker payout than the contract called for.

credit to Matthew O’Haren/USA TODAY Sports for the image