The first two seasons of Tom Allen’s tenure as head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers were marred in mediocrity, finishing 5-7 in consecutive seasons. However, Allen was able to turn the program around, experiencing highs in 2019 and 2020, including appearances in the Gator Bowl and Outback Bowl.
However, Indiana has fallen off in recent years and hasn’t had a winning season since 2020.
As such, Allen was fired on Sunday, per The IndyStar’s Zach Osterman.
Tom Allen is out. Source confirms to IndyStar he has been dismissed after seven years in charge in Bloomington.
Search for his replacement has begun: https://t.co/MgVrIs78bN via @indystar #iufb
— Zach Osterman (@ZachOsterman) November 26, 2023
The Hoosiers went 3-9 overall and 1-8 in the Big Ten, good for last place in the conference standings. It’s also coming off a year when they finished 4-8 (2-7). The lack of any real progress was clearly enough proof for Indiana that it was time to move on from Allen, who finished his tenure in Bloomington with an overall record of 33-49 (18-43).
In Allen’s final three seasons at the helm, the Hoosiers went 9-27 (3-23) with zero Power Five nonconference wins coming during that period.
Despite a contract buyout that exceeds well over $20 million across the next four years, Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson and his department will pay Allen not to coach their football team, as they begin to search for his eventual replacement.
We’ll see who Indiana decides to replace Allen with as they attempt to climb back up the Big Ten rankings and compete with some of the other second-tier programs in the conference.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.