Indiana University Athletics
Like Father, Like Mentor, Like Son
1/7/2019 11:03:00 AM | Football
By: Andy Graham
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Tom Allen knew to raise Kane when the situation dictated.
When Allen arrived as Indiana's defensive coordinator in 2016, his Hoosier unit proceeded to allow 10.4 fewer points per game than in 2015, an improvement ranking fourth nationally.
Ranking fifth nationally in that category, at 10.3, was South Alabama.
South Alabama's defensive coordinator was Kane Wommack.
Who, as of Dec. 27, is now Indiana's defensive coordinator.
And that makes all sorts of sense.
Because Allen was mentored in his favored 4-2-5 scheme by Wommack's father, Dave, who was defensive coordinator at Ole Miss while Allen served as linebackers coach – and Kane Wommack was a graduate assistant.
And the Wommack-Allen combination extends back to 2011, when Dave Wommack was DC and Allen was assistant head coach/linebackers coach at Arkansas State.
So it was no accident Kane Wommack was brought in as IU's linebackers coach last January. And Allen made it clear, when he and Wommack met with the media Thursday, that he had kept this most recent elevation for Wommack in mind.
Because ever since ascending to the Hoosier head-coaching position in December of 2016, Allen figured he might well ultimately need to divest himself of the defensive-coordinator role he had maintained
for IU through this past fall.
"We brought Kane here a year ago to be able bring him along through our system," Allen said. "Someone that knows it inside and out, from the front end to the back end. That really just allows me to move to a more involved role as the head coach of the whole team, and be able to, I believe, be more effective as a leader and motivator of both sides of the ball and special teams.
"The fact that we're all on the same page is critical. He'll put his own personality on things. He's going to be the defensive coordinator. I will definitely be involved with the defense, but you've got to have a guy that you really, really trust, that knows the ins and outs, that knows the whys of the defense. And that's different and unique about Kane.
"We started coaching together back at Ole Miss on the same staff ... I learned this system from his dad. When I left and went on to South Florida, (Kane) had already left and gone on to be a defensive coordinator prior to that at both Eastern Illinois and South Alabama. During that time, we talked a lot. "
And those conversations obviously carried over during Wommack's first year at IU.
"During the season, that's the one person I would call and talk to and bounce ideas off and hey, how do guys do this, how do guys do that," Allen said. "He would do the same thing with me.
"That, over time, built a lot of trust about what we were doing and the similarities of how we took the base system and changed it over the years. I obviously adapted it to the places I've been. He did the same. Bringing him here last year was a chance to be on the same page with terminology and just everything. So I think it's just a unique situation for that. It gave me a lot of comfort. And I felt like it was the right time to be able to make this transition, so I'm excited about it."
And there is plenty of quantifiable basis for that excitement.
When Wommack got his first crack as defensive coordinator, in 2014 at Eastern Illinois, he succeeded immediately.
EIU finished second nationally in interceptions (19), third in total takeaways (31), fourth in pass-efficiency defense (103.0), eighth in red-zone defense (67.3 percent) and 10th in tackles for loss (98).
Then during Wommack's two seasons coordinating South Alabama's defense, it was the nation's 13th-most improved unit in average points allowed (-10.8) and rushing yards allowed (-69.2).
Wommack is especially happy to try for similar success at Allen's side.
"The opportunity to work with Tom in this role, now as the defensive coordinator and with him as the head coach, I get emotional somewhat thinking about it," Wommack said, "just because it's been something that I've dreamed of for a very long time.
"To work for a guy I believe in, I trust, I know, and to be able to do that hand-in-hand and accomplish the things he has set for our team on a macro level, to be able to put my full weight and influence behind our defense, is really a dream come true for me."
And Wommack is also pleased to work with fellow IU coaches he first met while still at South Alabama, and in whom he has full confidence.
"Tremendously excited to lead our defense moving forward and work alongside Mark Hagen, Kasey Teegardin and Brandon Shelby," Wommack said. "Guys that I've gotten to know, really, over the last couple of years.
"Tom brought his staff down to South Alabama and I got to meet those guys, spend time with them, talk ball with them. Now I've gotten to know their families. Just a tremendous group of guys that I'm excited to work with."
Wommack thinks IU's current and incoming players constitute a pretty good group, too.
"Our players are really hungry," he said. "We make no bones about it, the end of the season left a bad taste in our mouths. I think that we all know that we're capable of a whole lot more and we're excited to begin the work in that.
"I think we've got a tremendous group of young, talented players. I think we've got some older guys who have built up experience in this defense and are excited about their junior and senior years.
"But I think we're all on the same page that we've recruited really well the past couple of years. With the personnel we have, with some of these young guys coming in (and playing), we took some licks this year, but they gained phenomenal experience – and some of them played at a very high level."
Indiana was the nation's 19th-youngest team in 2018. And the Hoosiers had 16 true freshmen see action, including 10 on defense:
James Head Jr. (DE), Jamar Johnson (DB), Cam Jones (Husky), Shamar Jones (DT), Devon "Monster" Matthews (S), Micah McFadden (LB), James Miller (LB), Madison Norris (DE), Reese Taylor (CB, while also seeing snaps on offense) and Jaylin Williams (CB).
Wommack said there is a lot of talent in that group and that the experience gained last fall should propel those players to a major jump in performance from year one in the system to year two. And that it also should allow the defensive coordinator to readily employ the more nuanced, detailed aspects of the scheme rather than always sticking to basics.
"My dad, who (Allen and I) both learned this system from, will tell you that the system evolves year to year based off of the personnel and what you need and the league that you're in," Wommack said.
"We'll always evolve and do some things.
"We're never going to do things the same as the 2016 defense or the 2018 defense, the 2019 defense will do some different things. At the same time, our comfort level in knowing exactly what I have to get accomplished over the next eight months until we start the new season, there's definitely an easier learning curve from that regard."
The main defensive area hit by graduation losses is the defensive line, with Nile Sykes, Mike Barwick Jr., Jacob Robinson, Ja'merez Bowen and Kayton Samuels all exiting the scene.
"We're losing a couple of guys on the interior defensive line," Wommack acknowledged. "I think we've worked hard to address some of those issues from a recruiting standpoint. I think we've done that.
Time will tell how those guys pan out. They've got to develop. They've got to do their job.
"But the work (defensive line coach) Mark Hagen does, I have total confidence in what he does. I've worked in the defensive line, coached the defensive line in this system. I care deeply about it. It really all starts up front. Making sure our defensive line up front (can play), especially in the interior, will probably be our biggest focus that we need to address."
As far as overall focus for the defense, Wommack intends to put a personal stamp on the attitude with which the unit plays.
"I'm a culture guy and I'm a fundamentals guy," Wommack said. "I thought Coach (Allen, this past fall) led us really well with a young group of guys, to be able just to go out and execute and just do their jobs.
"There were times on the field where we executed and did our job – but there was a certain swagger that you have to play with in this league that you saw (here) in 2016 and 2017 that probably, with some younger players, we didn't get to see as much of in 2018.
"I think Coach knew that, anticipated that, and we adjusted our defense accordingly. But I think the thing I really look forward to building is that swagger and a confidence in our group that, when we walk on that field, we're 11 bad jokers who are ready to inflict our will upon our opponents.
"I think that's something that is really exciting about this group of players. They're a pretty hungry group. And some have a nasty edge about themselves (as players) that allows you to create a culture that guys want to be a part of.?"
And Wommack feels that all dovetails well with the energy Allen brings to the entire program.
"It's hard to miss the energy and tempo that he brings into any task he's trying to accomplish," Wommack said of Allen. "I remember when Tom and my dad were at Arkansas State together, (Tom was) just a person that has such passion for this game and such a passion for the people he's around. He's a guy that lights up the room just with the energy and intensity that he brings every day.
" ... We've built relationships on so many different facets and levels that I think both of us could basically go through a situation together and anticipate and know what the other guy is going to do. That's a really nice relationship to be able to have when you're looking at a stress environment that we deal with on a day-to-day basis."
Dave Wommack doesn't get stressed, in that sense, anymore. He retired from OIe Miss in 2016. So now he gets to check up on how his protégé and his son are doing at IU.
"I've enjoyed having his dad (here)," Allen said standing alongside Wommack. "He came and watched us play several times. Dave was here at most of our games and just enjoyed it. He was pretty relaxed on the sideline when we were pretty stressed out. Pretty unusual to see him in that role, but neat to have him around.
"(Kane is a) coach's kid just like myself. I think sometimes that speeds up the learning process just because you're around it so much and it's a part of what you're raised around and your lifestyle and how you think."
A natural fit. Like father, like mentor, like son.
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR HIRE PENDING
Erstwhile IU offensive coordinator Mike DeBord's retirement at the turn of the year means Tom Allen has another major staff job to fill.
Allen intends to expedite the hiring process quickly, but without hurrying it.
"I don't have a timetable, in that I'm not going to give a certain date, but I don't want to drag this out," Allen said Thursday. "I want to be very efficient with it, and we've already been very aggressive in the process.
"So I'd say as soon as possible, within the time frame of being effective. You don't want to rush things. You want to get the best possible person, for sure. It's an extremely important hire for us. But I want to get it done as soon as possible."
Allen said whomever is hired will assume something akin to a "head coach of the offense" role.
"I will say this, it's important for me to hire someone who has been a Division I offensive coordinator," Allen said. "I want a guy who has called plays at this level. Not necessarily in this conference, per se.
But that would be the ideal. A guy who's been there and done that.
"Because I still feel like, when I think of these two (coordinator) roles, that I still want a guy I can hire as the 'head coach of the offense.' That's how I'm going to present it to him. That's how I've presented it to the individuals I've spoken with."
Allen said he wants a coach who will help create and will own the culture of IU's offense, within Allen's own parameters. Aspects he that he said "aren't going to change" include:
"To me, it's about fit. I have to get a guy who fits our staff, fits our culture, fits in with the kind of guys we have on our staff and the kind of players we have. A guy who believes that you build a team the way we're building a team here, and in terms of how we motivate and how we lead."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Tom Allen knew to raise Kane when the situation dictated.
When Allen arrived as Indiana's defensive coordinator in 2016, his Hoosier unit proceeded to allow 10.4 fewer points per game than in 2015, an improvement ranking fourth nationally.
Ranking fifth nationally in that category, at 10.3, was South Alabama.
South Alabama's defensive coordinator was Kane Wommack.
Who, as of Dec. 27, is now Indiana's defensive coordinator.
And that makes all sorts of sense.
Because Allen was mentored in his favored 4-2-5 scheme by Wommack's father, Dave, who was defensive coordinator at Ole Miss while Allen served as linebackers coach – and Kane Wommack was a graduate assistant.
And the Wommack-Allen combination extends back to 2011, when Dave Wommack was DC and Allen was assistant head coach/linebackers coach at Arkansas State.
So it was no accident Kane Wommack was brought in as IU's linebackers coach last January. And Allen made it clear, when he and Wommack met with the media Thursday, that he had kept this most recent elevation for Wommack in mind.
Because ever since ascending to the Hoosier head-coaching position in December of 2016, Allen figured he might well ultimately need to divest himself of the defensive-coordinator role he had maintained
for IU through this past fall.
"We brought Kane here a year ago to be able bring him along through our system," Allen said. "Someone that knows it inside and out, from the front end to the back end. That really just allows me to move to a more involved role as the head coach of the whole team, and be able to, I believe, be more effective as a leader and motivator of both sides of the ball and special teams.
"The fact that we're all on the same page is critical. He'll put his own personality on things. He's going to be the defensive coordinator. I will definitely be involved with the defense, but you've got to have a guy that you really, really trust, that knows the ins and outs, that knows the whys of the defense. And that's different and unique about Kane.
"We started coaching together back at Ole Miss on the same staff ... I learned this system from his dad. When I left and went on to South Florida, (Kane) had already left and gone on to be a defensive coordinator prior to that at both Eastern Illinois and South Alabama. During that time, we talked a lot. "
And those conversations obviously carried over during Wommack's first year at IU.
"During the season, that's the one person I would call and talk to and bounce ideas off and hey, how do guys do this, how do guys do that," Allen said. "He would do the same thing with me.
"That, over time, built a lot of trust about what we were doing and the similarities of how we took the base system and changed it over the years. I obviously adapted it to the places I've been. He did the same. Bringing him here last year was a chance to be on the same page with terminology and just everything. So I think it's just a unique situation for that. It gave me a lot of comfort. And I felt like it was the right time to be able to make this transition, so I'm excited about it."
And there is plenty of quantifiable basis for that excitement.
When Wommack got his first crack as defensive coordinator, in 2014 at Eastern Illinois, he succeeded immediately.
EIU finished second nationally in interceptions (19), third in total takeaways (31), fourth in pass-efficiency defense (103.0), eighth in red-zone defense (67.3 percent) and 10th in tackles for loss (98).
Then during Wommack's two seasons coordinating South Alabama's defense, it was the nation's 13th-most improved unit in average points allowed (-10.8) and rushing yards allowed (-69.2).
Wommack is especially happy to try for similar success at Allen's side.
"The opportunity to work with Tom in this role, now as the defensive coordinator and with him as the head coach, I get emotional somewhat thinking about it," Wommack said, "just because it's been something that I've dreamed of for a very long time.
"To work for a guy I believe in, I trust, I know, and to be able to do that hand-in-hand and accomplish the things he has set for our team on a macro level, to be able to put my full weight and influence behind our defense, is really a dream come true for me."
And Wommack is also pleased to work with fellow IU coaches he first met while still at South Alabama, and in whom he has full confidence.
"Tremendously excited to lead our defense moving forward and work alongside Mark Hagen, Kasey Teegardin and Brandon Shelby," Wommack said. "Guys that I've gotten to know, really, over the last couple of years.
"Tom brought his staff down to South Alabama and I got to meet those guys, spend time with them, talk ball with them. Now I've gotten to know their families. Just a tremendous group of guys that I'm excited to work with."
Wommack thinks IU's current and incoming players constitute a pretty good group, too.
"Our players are really hungry," he said. "We make no bones about it, the end of the season left a bad taste in our mouths. I think that we all know that we're capable of a whole lot more and we're excited to begin the work in that.
"I think we've got a tremendous group of young, talented players. I think we've got some older guys who have built up experience in this defense and are excited about their junior and senior years.
"But I think we're all on the same page that we've recruited really well the past couple of years. With the personnel we have, with some of these young guys coming in (and playing), we took some licks this year, but they gained phenomenal experience – and some of them played at a very high level."
Indiana was the nation's 19th-youngest team in 2018. And the Hoosiers had 16 true freshmen see action, including 10 on defense:
James Head Jr. (DE), Jamar Johnson (DB), Cam Jones (Husky), Shamar Jones (DT), Devon "Monster" Matthews (S), Micah McFadden (LB), James Miller (LB), Madison Norris (DE), Reese Taylor (CB, while also seeing snaps on offense) and Jaylin Williams (CB).
Wommack said there is a lot of talent in that group and that the experience gained last fall should propel those players to a major jump in performance from year one in the system to year two. And that it also should allow the defensive coordinator to readily employ the more nuanced, detailed aspects of the scheme rather than always sticking to basics.
"My dad, who (Allen and I) both learned this system from, will tell you that the system evolves year to year based off of the personnel and what you need and the league that you're in," Wommack said.
"We'll always evolve and do some things.
"We're never going to do things the same as the 2016 defense or the 2018 defense, the 2019 defense will do some different things. At the same time, our comfort level in knowing exactly what I have to get accomplished over the next eight months until we start the new season, there's definitely an easier learning curve from that regard."
The main defensive area hit by graduation losses is the defensive line, with Nile Sykes, Mike Barwick Jr., Jacob Robinson, Ja'merez Bowen and Kayton Samuels all exiting the scene.
"We're losing a couple of guys on the interior defensive line," Wommack acknowledged. "I think we've worked hard to address some of those issues from a recruiting standpoint. I think we've done that.
Time will tell how those guys pan out. They've got to develop. They've got to do their job.
"But the work (defensive line coach) Mark Hagen does, I have total confidence in what he does. I've worked in the defensive line, coached the defensive line in this system. I care deeply about it. It really all starts up front. Making sure our defensive line up front (can play), especially in the interior, will probably be our biggest focus that we need to address."
As far as overall focus for the defense, Wommack intends to put a personal stamp on the attitude with which the unit plays.
"I'm a culture guy and I'm a fundamentals guy," Wommack said. "I thought Coach (Allen, this past fall) led us really well with a young group of guys, to be able just to go out and execute and just do their jobs.
"There were times on the field where we executed and did our job – but there was a certain swagger that you have to play with in this league that you saw (here) in 2016 and 2017 that probably, with some younger players, we didn't get to see as much of in 2018.
"I think Coach knew that, anticipated that, and we adjusted our defense accordingly. But I think the thing I really look forward to building is that swagger and a confidence in our group that, when we walk on that field, we're 11 bad jokers who are ready to inflict our will upon our opponents.
"I think that's something that is really exciting about this group of players. They're a pretty hungry group. And some have a nasty edge about themselves (as players) that allows you to create a culture that guys want to be a part of.?"
And Wommack feels that all dovetails well with the energy Allen brings to the entire program.
"It's hard to miss the energy and tempo that he brings into any task he's trying to accomplish," Wommack said of Allen. "I remember when Tom and my dad were at Arkansas State together, (Tom was) just a person that has such passion for this game and such a passion for the people he's around. He's a guy that lights up the room just with the energy and intensity that he brings every day.
" ... We've built relationships on so many different facets and levels that I think both of us could basically go through a situation together and anticipate and know what the other guy is going to do. That's a really nice relationship to be able to have when you're looking at a stress environment that we deal with on a day-to-day basis."
Dave Wommack doesn't get stressed, in that sense, anymore. He retired from OIe Miss in 2016. So now he gets to check up on how his protégé and his son are doing at IU.
"I've enjoyed having his dad (here)," Allen said standing alongside Wommack. "He came and watched us play several times. Dave was here at most of our games and just enjoyed it. He was pretty relaxed on the sideline when we were pretty stressed out. Pretty unusual to see him in that role, but neat to have him around.
"(Kane is a) coach's kid just like myself. I think sometimes that speeds up the learning process just because you're around it so much and it's a part of what you're raised around and your lifestyle and how you think."
A natural fit. Like father, like mentor, like son.
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR HIRE PENDING
Erstwhile IU offensive coordinator Mike DeBord's retirement at the turn of the year means Tom Allen has another major staff job to fill.
Allen intends to expedite the hiring process quickly, but without hurrying it.
"I don't have a timetable, in that I'm not going to give a certain date, but I don't want to drag this out," Allen said Thursday. "I want to be very efficient with it, and we've already been very aggressive in the process.
"So I'd say as soon as possible, within the time frame of being effective. You don't want to rush things. You want to get the best possible person, for sure. It's an extremely important hire for us. But I want to get it done as soon as possible."
Allen said whomever is hired will assume something akin to a "head coach of the offense" role.
"I will say this, it's important for me to hire someone who has been a Division I offensive coordinator," Allen said. "I want a guy who has called plays at this level. Not necessarily in this conference, per se.
But that would be the ideal. A guy who's been there and done that.
"Because I still feel like, when I think of these two (coordinator) roles, that I still want a guy I can hire as the 'head coach of the offense.' That's how I'm going to present it to him. That's how I've presented it to the individuals I've spoken with."
Allen said he wants a coach who will help create and will own the culture of IU's offense, within Allen's own parameters. Aspects he that he said "aren't going to change" include:
- "We're going to run the football. In this conference, as you know, you have to be able to do that effectively."
- "I want us to play with tempo. That doesn't change, for me. I think that's an important part of our identity here."
- "But I also want us to create explosive plays. I've said that 1,000 times. To me, that's just an area that we have to grow in, that we have to do, in both the run game and the pass game."
- "Being able to throw the ball downfield and stretch the defense vertically. We have guys who can do that. That's something that I know, defensively, gives us a lot of issues and creates a lot of challenges."
- "And, at the end of the day, you've got to protect the football. That's not going to change. We talk about that all the time, on both sides of the football. Create takeaways on defense and avoid turnovers on offense."
"To me, it's about fit. I have to get a guy who fits our staff, fits our culture, fits in with the kind of guys we have on our staff and the kind of players we have. A guy who believes that you build a team the way we're building a team here, and in terms of how we motivate and how we lead."
Players Mentioned
DL
/ Football
DB
/ Football
DL
/ Football
LB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
DL
/ Football
DB
/ Football
DB
/ FootballFB: Fernando Mendoza - Heisman Trophy Press Conference (12/15/25)
Monday, December 15
FB: Curt Cignetti - Pre-Heisman Press Conference
Wednesday, December 10
FB: Fernando Mendoza - Pre-Heisman Press Conference
Tuesday, December 09
FB: CFP Quarterfinals (Rose Bowl) - Student-Athlete Press Conference
Monday, December 08