Indiana football coach Tom Allen announces big change for 2022

Indiana football coach Tom Allen will call plays for the defense this fall, per ESPN’s Adam Rittenburg. Chad Wilt, who joined Allen’s staff this offseason, will keep the title of defensive coordinator.

“He and I have talked that through,” Allen said. “And he’ll be organizing our staff and all the things that we do.”

Allen took over for the Hoosiers in 2017 after spending one season as their defensive coordinator. Prior to that, he was a linebackers coach at Ole Miss from 2012-14 and the defensive coordinator at South Florida for one season. He has compiled a 26-32 record in five seasons at Indiana, but went just 2-10 this season.

The Hoosiers defensive coordinator from this past season, Charlton Warren, left to coach at North Carolina. Wilt, who spent one season with Minnesota as its defensive line coach, was brought in as his replacement.

Coming off of a 6-2 finish in 2020, Indiana entered this past season with high hopes. The Hoosiers were ranked No. 17 in the preseason, but quickly fell out. They failed to win a Big Ten game, with their only two victories coming against Idaho and Western Kentucky.

It was a big setback for Allen’s team, which was coming off of back-to-back winning seasons. If the Hoosiers hope to regain some of that positive traction in 2022, it starts with the defense. Indiana finished last in the Big Ten in scoring defense, giving up an average of 33.3 points per game.

The team loses linebacker Micah McFadden, the leader in tackles and sacks, to the NFL draft. If they hope to find improvement, they’ll have to do so with a new defensive leader. Tom Allen and Indiana are set to open the 2022 season with a Big Ten matchup on Sept. 3 against the Illinois Fighting Illini.