Tom Allen Named New Indiana Hoosiers’ Coach, Replaces Kevin Wilson

Indiana University officials have accepted the resignation of football coach Kevin Wilson due to “philosophical differences,” and defensive coordinator Tom Allen was immediately given a six-year deal to take over the full-time job, the school announced Thursday.

Tom Allen Named New Indiana Hoosiers’ Coach, Replaces Kevin Wilson

“I appreciate Coach Wilson’s many positive contributions to our football program,” athletic director Fred Glass said in a statement. “This has nothing to do with the performance of the football team, which I view as quite positive and very much heading in the right direction.”

Glass explained in the statement that no NCAA compliance issues had led to Wilson’s abrupt resignation. Nevertheless, a former Hoosiers player told ESPN on Thursday that he and at least five current Indiana players were interviewed regarding Wilson’s treatment of players during meetings with athletic department officials and university lawyers during the past two weeks.

“There was no smoking gun, no precipitating event,” that led to Wilson’s resignation, Glass said, and he was confident after an outside review from legal counsel that no players’ medical issues were compromised under Wilson. Instead, he said the two “weren’t on the same page” in terms of leadership style.

Glass gave Wilson a raise and a six-year contract extension in January, and seemed to believe most of those types of issues had been sorted out. In early November, however, Glass stated, “It came to my attention that some things I thought we’d put behind us had bubbled up again.”

Glass did not specify the nature of those issues.

Earlier Thursday, a former Hoosier’s father told ESPN that his son suffered a concussion in practice shortly before the 2015 season and was rushed back to workouts, thus causing his symptoms to intensify.

“He was out about a week and they started a normal concussion regimen, in which he was allowed to work out for about 20 minutes and gradually increase it,” the former player’s father said. “But after he worked out for 20 minutes, they had him run about 6 miles. After that, my son was feeling fine. But when he went home, he started throwing up and his symptoms went haywire.”

“We don’t have any outstanding claims of medical issues,” Glass said Thursday.

Wilson’s culture led the Hoosiers to two straight bowl bids and four straight Old Oaken Buckets.

The program hasn’t seen this kind of success in decades.

Every player on the team was recruited by Wilson. This includes first-year Hoosiers quarterback Richard Lagow and the remainder of the Indiana offense, which Allen– a defensive-minded coach, said he’s not touching until after the bowl.

Former Hoosiers offensive lineman Bernard Taylor, who played under Wilson from 2011-14, told the “Right Time with Bomani Jones” on ESPN Radio that Wilson’s treatment of players “was ridiculous,” although he didn’t provide specifics.

Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad wide receiver Shane Wynn stated Friday that he had “zero issues” with Wilson during his time as a Hoosier.

“The way he coaches is you’re not going to be soft around him,” Wynn said. “He was hard on us all the time, and I guess if a coach is hard on you, some people just can’t take that.”

Wilson had a 26-47 record in six seasons at Indiana, including a 6-6 mark this season. The Hoosiers are waiting to find out which bowl game they will play in.

Allen joined Indiana as the associate head coach this season, and he was a nominee for the Frank Broyles Award after the Hoosiers’ defense limited opponents to 136.9 fewer total yards and 10.3 fewer points per game than it gave up in 2015.

Glass described Allen’s leadership style as “demanding but not demeaning,” and lauded the positivity he brought to his role as defensive coordinator this season.

BLOOMINGTON, IN – OCTOBER 29: Kevin Wilson the head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers disagrees with an official in the game against the Maryland Terrapins at Memorial Stadium on October 29, 2016 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Article by Pablo Mena