For Tom Allen, Defensive Love Means Saying Goodbye
7/22/2019 7:46:00 AM | Football
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By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
CHICAGO - Tom Allen loves defense. Don't ever forget that. He thrives in the planning, the scheming, the evaluating -- all the factors that go into stopping offenses.
Love, in this Cream & Crimson case, means saying goodbye. Allen has given up Indiana's defensive coordinator role. Kane Wommack has it now.
Don't expect regrets.
Perspective has found the Hoosiers' third-year head coach.
"I will no longer be calling the defense," Allen said during the Big Ten media event in Chicago. "I feel it's time for that opportunity to be passed on and excited about the (opportunity) for me to be the head coach of the football team in a more effective way."
Defensive effectiveness now rests mostly on Wommack, although Allen will continue to have input.
Wommack is in his second season at IU. He started as the linebacker coach following defensive coordinator jobs at Eastern Illinois and South Alabama. He also coached defensive linemen at Jacksonville State and quarterbacks at Tennessee Martin. He spent a year as a graduate assistant at Mississippi under his father, Dave Wommack, who was the defensive coordinator. Allen coached the linebackers there.
Much of Allen's defensive philosophy comes from Dave Wommack.
"(Kane and I) are on the same page philosophically," Allen said. "We have a very young defense. It's very athletic. We have depth at all positions. It's young depth that we're trying to develop. But I love how hard they play, how fast they play, and how physical we're becoming on that side of the football. I have high expectations for our defense in 2019."
Expectations are everywhere you look for a program that hasn't had a winning record since 2007, and just one since 1994.
Still, consider this -- IU has not won enough, but it also hasn't conceded. It has challenged the Big Ten's best, pushing Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan to the brink the last couple of years, but not beyond.
The one over-riding factor is not starting talent as much as not enough quality depth. The fourth quarter has not been a friend.
The result -- the Hoosiers have lost seven games over the last two seasons by eight points or less.
Fixing that requires better depth, which means better recruiting and player development, and a don't-break mentality to overcome any here-we-go-again doubt.
"We had some depth in 2018," Allen says, "but it was very, very young depth, depth that caused us to, at times, struggle to finish. But we competed against the best in our league each and every week.
"So we go into this year. We went out and recruited, built relationships, and signed the highest-ranked class in the history of our program. I see us as a team that is starting to build the depth you need to compete in this conference.
"I would consider us a young, experienced team. We played 16 freshmen last year, 10 on defense, six on offense, in meaningful minutes. Those guys had a chance to develop and grow. We've had another offseason under our belt with our strength and nutrition staff, and it's helping our players develop physically. It's making a difference in our program."
Then there's the new offense. Mike DeBord retired after two years as offensive coordinator and Kalen DeBoer has taken over. DeBoer has rejuvenated offenses at Fresno State, Eastern Michigan and Southern Illinois after winning three national championships at the University of Sioux Falls.
He brings a diverse attack well suited to Allen's push-defenses-to-the-breaking-point preference.
"I've known him for many, many years," Allen said. "He's a tremendously high-character individual, is a great husband and father and leads his family well. He's been a very successful collegiate head coach and also a very, very effective offensive-minded individual who can move the ball down the field and score points, which has been our issue on offense."
How different will DeBoer's offense be from DeBord's?
"Well, we're not running split back veer or the triple option under center," Allen said, "so I don't think it's going to be dramatically different than it has been. You'll have some core principles that will be the same.
"Every coach has his own twist on things and the way he presents the offense. But to me, it's more about formational things and personnel groupings and the way that we get into different looks and how we disguise looks.
"You'll get a chance to see that in Week One (against Ball State on Aug. 31 at Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium) and beyond, but the bottom line is it is a new system.
"I told Coach DeBoer when he got here, I want him to completely implement everything he wanted in terms of terminology and everything, and let our guys learn a new system. And they've embraced it, and we've done a great job to get it installed.
"There will be some changes, but I wouldn't say it's wholesale changes. At the same time, it is a new system, a new play caller. I think play calling is an art, and I think that Kalen DeBoer is a gifted play caller."
One final thing -- DeBoer has talent with quarterbacks Peyton Ramsey, Michael Penix Jr. and Jack Tuttle; running backs Stevie Scott III, Cole Gest, Ronnie Walker Jr. and Sampson James, receivers Nick Westbrook, Donavan Hale and Whop Philyor; and offensive linemen Coy Cronk, Simon Stepaniak and Hunter Littlejohn, to name a few.
"We have a receiving corps and a running back group that I believe in," Allen said. "We have depth there. We have competition there. Iron sharpens iron. It makes you better. It makes me better. It makes all of us better.
"The offensive line is led by three seniors (Cronk, Stepaniak, Littlejohn). Coy will lead that group. We have to develop depth at that position and continue to do that throughout fall camp."
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
CHICAGO - Tom Allen loves defense. Don't ever forget that. He thrives in the planning, the scheming, the evaluating -- all the factors that go into stopping offenses.
Love, in this Cream & Crimson case, means saying goodbye. Allen has given up Indiana's defensive coordinator role. Kane Wommack has it now.
Don't expect regrets.
Perspective has found the Hoosiers' third-year head coach.
"I will no longer be calling the defense," Allen said during the Big Ten media event in Chicago. "I feel it's time for that opportunity to be passed on and excited about the (opportunity) for me to be the head coach of the football team in a more effective way."
Defensive effectiveness now rests mostly on Wommack, although Allen will continue to have input.
Wommack is in his second season at IU. He started as the linebacker coach following defensive coordinator jobs at Eastern Illinois and South Alabama. He also coached defensive linemen at Jacksonville State and quarterbacks at Tennessee Martin. He spent a year as a graduate assistant at Mississippi under his father, Dave Wommack, who was the defensive coordinator. Allen coached the linebackers there.
Much of Allen's defensive philosophy comes from Dave Wommack.
"(Kane and I) are on the same page philosophically," Allen said. "We have a very young defense. It's very athletic. We have depth at all positions. It's young depth that we're trying to develop. But I love how hard they play, how fast they play, and how physical we're becoming on that side of the football. I have high expectations for our defense in 2019."
Expectations are everywhere you look for a program that hasn't had a winning record since 2007, and just one since 1994.
Still, consider this -- IU has not won enough, but it also hasn't conceded. It has challenged the Big Ten's best, pushing Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan to the brink the last couple of years, but not beyond.
The one over-riding factor is not starting talent as much as not enough quality depth. The fourth quarter has not been a friend.
The result -- the Hoosiers have lost seven games over the last two seasons by eight points or less.
Fixing that requires better depth, which means better recruiting and player development, and a don't-break mentality to overcome any here-we-go-again doubt.
"We had some depth in 2018," Allen says, "but it was very, very young depth, depth that caused us to, at times, struggle to finish. But we competed against the best in our league each and every week.
"So we go into this year. We went out and recruited, built relationships, and signed the highest-ranked class in the history of our program. I see us as a team that is starting to build the depth you need to compete in this conference.
"I would consider us a young, experienced team. We played 16 freshmen last year, 10 on defense, six on offense, in meaningful minutes. Those guys had a chance to develop and grow. We've had another offseason under our belt with our strength and nutrition staff, and it's helping our players develop physically. It's making a difference in our program."
Then there's the new offense. Mike DeBord retired after two years as offensive coordinator and Kalen DeBoer has taken over. DeBoer has rejuvenated offenses at Fresno State, Eastern Michigan and Southern Illinois after winning three national championships at the University of Sioux Falls.
He brings a diverse attack well suited to Allen's push-defenses-to-the-breaking-point preference.
"I've known him for many, many years," Allen said. "He's a tremendously high-character individual, is a great husband and father and leads his family well. He's been a very successful collegiate head coach and also a very, very effective offensive-minded individual who can move the ball down the field and score points, which has been our issue on offense."
How different will DeBoer's offense be from DeBord's?
"Well, we're not running split back veer or the triple option under center," Allen said, "so I don't think it's going to be dramatically different than it has been. You'll have some core principles that will be the same.
"Every coach has his own twist on things and the way he presents the offense. But to me, it's more about formational things and personnel groupings and the way that we get into different looks and how we disguise looks.
"You'll get a chance to see that in Week One (against Ball State on Aug. 31 at Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium) and beyond, but the bottom line is it is a new system.
"I told Coach DeBoer when he got here, I want him to completely implement everything he wanted in terms of terminology and everything, and let our guys learn a new system. And they've embraced it, and we've done a great job to get it installed.
"There will be some changes, but I wouldn't say it's wholesale changes. At the same time, it is a new system, a new play caller. I think play calling is an art, and I think that Kalen DeBoer is a gifted play caller."
One final thing -- DeBoer has talent with quarterbacks Peyton Ramsey, Michael Penix Jr. and Jack Tuttle; running backs Stevie Scott III, Cole Gest, Ronnie Walker Jr. and Sampson James, receivers Nick Westbrook, Donavan Hale and Whop Philyor; and offensive linemen Coy Cronk, Simon Stepaniak and Hunter Littlejohn, to name a few.
"We have a receiving corps and a running back group that I believe in," Allen said. "We have depth there. We have competition there. Iron sharpens iron. It makes you better. It makes me better. It makes all of us better.
"The offensive line is led by three seniors (Cronk, Stepaniak, Littlejohn). Coy will lead that group. We have to develop depth at that position and continue to do that throughout fall camp."
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