Indiana University Athletics
Allen Building a Culture Shift on IU Defense
8/3/2016 4:00:00 PM | Football
By: Nick Reith
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - For Indiana defensive coordinator Tom Allen, coaching has always been about more than football.
It's a mindset he learned from his father, who coached Allen during his prep career at New Castle High School. And from his very first coaching position to now, in his first season with Indiana, Allen has cherished the relationships he's built with his players above all else.
"The relationship part, that's what you can take with you," Allen said during Wednesday's Indiana Football Media Day. "The seasons come and go, and players come and go. The relationships you build with those guys can last forever. To me, it's been a critical piece for me motivationally, and it's what makes me tick."
Allen's approach to coaching has a heavy foundation in the personal relationships with individual players. Throughout the year, his door is open for any players wanting to meet with him. In the months since Allen joined Indiana, he's taken the time to meet one-on-one with the players he's coaching to get an idea of who they truly are.
"I have them go through and give me everybody that's in their family and writing everybody's names down and talk to me about them," Allen said when asked about the process. "I have them talk about what they're studying and what they want to do. Then, I ask them what are the three most important things in their life. That tells me a lot about them, so I write those down and from there I'll be able to dig deeper into what's really important to them."
Allen's personable approach is well received by the players, even if some of them are hesitant to open up immediately. In those cases, Allen doesn't prod or force a response. Instead, Allen will continue to leave his door open and let the players open up at their pace.
"Everybody's personality dictates the tempo of that process," said Allen. "Some guys will open up on day one, other guys are tougher nuts to crack, but that's okay. As the season unfolds a lot of things happen, both good and bad, and that helps you grow a lot closer."
The fruits of Allen's methods are beginning to shine through as the summer winds down. The defense underwent a schematic change with Allen's arrival, but the heart of the change is in the culture. Allen said that back in the spring, the main focus was on how to play for each other and how to love each other. In his approach to coaching, those principles are foundational in players executing above their skillset.
Allen's players have noticed the culture shift.
"He truly cares about us and wants to get to know us, because to him we have to get to know each other to trust each other," said redshirt junior Rashard Fant. "When you have a coach that cares about you like that, you're going to lay everything on the line for him. Anything he tells you to do, you do it because of the trust you have in him and in your abilities."
Hoosiers' Defensive Changes Come from Within
This offseason, Indiana defensive coordinator Tom Allen has removed "turnovers" from their defensive strategy.
It doesn't mean that the Hoosier defense is going to stop trying to give the ball back to the offense; rather, the word "turnover" has been removed from their vocabulary and replaced by "takeaway". In fact, using the word "turnover" around one of Indiana's coaches could result in some extra conditioning.
It's one of the many culture and mindset changes ushered in by Coach Allen and his staff.
"Changing the wording helps impound that in our mind," said junior linebacker Tegray Scales. "It's not easy taking away the ball, so it's something you have to work at every day. If we emphasize that in camp, it'll be second nature in the game."
The Hoosier defense has made significant stride's since Indiana hired Allen in January. It's a challenge for any coach or coordinator to implement a new scheme in his first year with a team, and the Hoosiers' transition to a 4-2-5 layout is no exception. That's why Allen is beginning the transition by changing the foundation of the defense: earning takeaways, tackling efficiently, and giving maximum effort with precision focus on every down.
"We have a great defense here, we just have to buy into our coaches' plans," Scales said. "We have great playmakers, we're older, and we have a lot of returning talent. I think it will be a great year, we just have to take it one day at a time."
The players are growing accustomed to the new scheme. With an additional defensive back on the field, Indiana sets up against the spread offenses that are becoming more abundant in college football. According to coach Allen, the majority of Indiana's schedule will bring spread formations against the Hoosier defense.
While the lineup on defense is changing, the mindset is the emphasis. Those principles apply no matter the formation.
"It's different with the 4-2-5. We have one less linebacker on the edge, but at the end of the day it's still fundamental defense. We just have to go out there and execute. I think it will be good for us having a fifth defensive back, an extra playmaker behind us to help out in the secondary."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - For Indiana defensive coordinator Tom Allen, coaching has always been about more than football.
It's a mindset he learned from his father, who coached Allen during his prep career at New Castle High School. And from his very first coaching position to now, in his first season with Indiana, Allen has cherished the relationships he's built with his players above all else.
"The relationship part, that's what you can take with you," Allen said during Wednesday's Indiana Football Media Day. "The seasons come and go, and players come and go. The relationships you build with those guys can last forever. To me, it's been a critical piece for me motivationally, and it's what makes me tick."
Allen's approach to coaching has a heavy foundation in the personal relationships with individual players. Throughout the year, his door is open for any players wanting to meet with him. In the months since Allen joined Indiana, he's taken the time to meet one-on-one with the players he's coaching to get an idea of who they truly are.
"I have them go through and give me everybody that's in their family and writing everybody's names down and talk to me about them," Allen said when asked about the process. "I have them talk about what they're studying and what they want to do. Then, I ask them what are the three most important things in their life. That tells me a lot about them, so I write those down and from there I'll be able to dig deeper into what's really important to them."
Allen's personable approach is well received by the players, even if some of them are hesitant to open up immediately. In those cases, Allen doesn't prod or force a response. Instead, Allen will continue to leave his door open and let the players open up at their pace.
"Everybody's personality dictates the tempo of that process," said Allen. "Some guys will open up on day one, other guys are tougher nuts to crack, but that's okay. As the season unfolds a lot of things happen, both good and bad, and that helps you grow a lot closer."
The fruits of Allen's methods are beginning to shine through as the summer winds down. The defense underwent a schematic change with Allen's arrival, but the heart of the change is in the culture. Allen said that back in the spring, the main focus was on how to play for each other and how to love each other. In his approach to coaching, those principles are foundational in players executing above their skillset.
Allen's players have noticed the culture shift.
"He truly cares about us and wants to get to know us, because to him we have to get to know each other to trust each other," said redshirt junior Rashard Fant. "When you have a coach that cares about you like that, you're going to lay everything on the line for him. Anything he tells you to do, you do it because of the trust you have in him and in your abilities."
Hoosiers' Defensive Changes Come from Within
This offseason, Indiana defensive coordinator Tom Allen has removed "turnovers" from their defensive strategy.
It doesn't mean that the Hoosier defense is going to stop trying to give the ball back to the offense; rather, the word "turnover" has been removed from their vocabulary and replaced by "takeaway". In fact, using the word "turnover" around one of Indiana's coaches could result in some extra conditioning.
It's one of the many culture and mindset changes ushered in by Coach Allen and his staff.
"Changing the wording helps impound that in our mind," said junior linebacker Tegray Scales. "It's not easy taking away the ball, so it's something you have to work at every day. If we emphasize that in camp, it'll be second nature in the game."
The Hoosier defense has made significant stride's since Indiana hired Allen in January. It's a challenge for any coach or coordinator to implement a new scheme in his first year with a team, and the Hoosiers' transition to a 4-2-5 layout is no exception. That's why Allen is beginning the transition by changing the foundation of the defense: earning takeaways, tackling efficiently, and giving maximum effort with precision focus on every down.
"We have a great defense here, we just have to buy into our coaches' plans," Scales said. "We have great playmakers, we're older, and we have a lot of returning talent. I think it will be a great year, we just have to take it one day at a time."
The players are growing accustomed to the new scheme. With an additional defensive back on the field, Indiana sets up against the spread offenses that are becoming more abundant in college football. According to coach Allen, the majority of Indiana's schedule will bring spread formations against the Hoosier defense.
While the lineup on defense is changing, the mindset is the emphasis. Those principles apply no matter the formation.
"It's different with the 4-2-5. We have one less linebacker on the edge, but at the end of the day it's still fundamental defense. We just have to go out there and execute. I think it will be good for us having a fifth defensive back, an extra playmaker behind us to help out in the secondary."
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