WATCH: Tom Allen Introduces Charlton Warren

Below are partial transcriptions of Zoom press conferences with Indiana head coach Tom Allen and defensive coordinator Charlton Warren on Wednesday, Jan. 27.

Head Coach Tom Allen
ALLEN: We are really excited about Charlton Warren joining our staff as defensive coordinator. As we all know it is a critical position for our program. The job that Kane Wommack was able to do here this past season, the growth that our defense showed was the improvement I expected, and now to bring in Charlton from the University of Georgia, a lot of respect for where he has been and the man that he is is important to me. To me it is always about fit when recruiting both players and coaches. Fit to me is guys that are aligned philosophically, how you motivate, how you lead, how you build a family, how you build a program, how you build belief, confidence and trust in each other. We really found those values in Charlton. First it starts with his character as a man, his leadership, his home and the people he has worked with before. This is an individual that I have not worked with before. I feel very confident in the research and all of the work we put into this. To be able to find an individual that has worked with guys that I know well, guys I worked with and have worked with Charlton side by side on a daily basis know the man that he truly is. The only way you know that is over time, how it has showed in the ability to take command, lead and capture both the coaches and the players on that side of the football. That is really key for me. On the football side of it he has been around some of the best defensive minds in the country collegiately and that was important as well because it brings in new ideas as part of this process. We have a system here that we believe in, that we run defensively, that I brought here many years ago, and that we will continue to modify, mold, build, grow, and that is what I expect moving forward. I am excited for our players to get to know him, that process has already started, just to show them and influence them in a way that I know he will do on a high level.

Q. On any mutual connections…
ALLEN: There are a couple coaches on the Georgia staff that I worked with personally for several years so I know them very well and they know me well. They know what kind of environment we have created here because of working with myself and the things that I care about. Basically, my coaching philosophy over all of these years has manifested itself in the way we have built this program here. They see that, they know that, and they have been with Charlton so that was big for me. These are guys that I trust, that know me, know what we are about, what I care about, what is important to me, and that is what it comes down to. When you hire someone, you have not worked with, I have done that before, either someone on the current staff knew them well or those that have worked with them. That is what it came to but at the end of the day you sit down with them on the phone then you have a chance to meet with them and talk things through, and that is when it confirms the things that you were told.

Q. On being involved with the defense…
ALLEN: It is going to be no different than when Kane came here in the beginning. He also came as a linebackers coach. I will say, and our players would attest to this, I am in every linebackers position meeting. I was all this past year and will be again this coming season. It is the area I focus on the most obviously and the position that I have coached the most in my career, so that will not change. I will definitely be more involved in the beginning without question. I think that would be natural to expect. I want to be and he wants me to be, so we are excited about that. It would be similar to just going through and being involved the ways I have always been in terms of meeting wise. Right now, we are going through the process of teaching him what we do and how we call things because everybody calls things a little differently. We all do pretty much the same things, just some different terms we use, and he will adapt to the way we call things because that is the way the players know. We have so many guys back on this team overall and back on our defense. Definitely going to be keeping those things consistent. I will be hands on, but that is how I am with the defensive side of the football. It will be more like when Kane first got here for sure.

Q. On the defensive coordinator search and experience with linebackers…
ALLEN: I think first of all a pretty broad net, obviously. When you have a situation where, and I have been pretty open and honest about this, and was open and honest in the whole time with everybody that I spoke with. I was not looking for somebody to come in here and bring their defense to Indiana and install it. That is not what we are doing here. We have a system that we believe in as coaches, as players. It is football, we are not going to do something our guys have never seen before. But at the same time, it is a system that we have in place. And so, to find somebody that understood that and embraced that, and was excited about that. So, when you have a defense that has played as well as we have here, especially this past season, and I think the 2017 season and this past season are the top two defenses we have had. That to me was a big deal to be the guy that understood that and wanted to be able to embrace that role. And from the NFL guys talking to the guys at the collegiate level. I took my time with this and our time as a staff to be able to do a great job of getting the right fit, and being able to make sure, because this is an important position without question. So, just making sure that it was the fit, and feeling good about that. The timing to me, I did not want to be rushed. I wanted to make sure we were thorough and did a good job with that. But like I said, I think because you are not saying, hey let's go out and get a whatever system to bring here, it makes it little bit different type of search than if I went for different purposes. And so, I think it maybe narrows the group a little bit in that regard. Then you talk about the secondary. I think that is the way the game is played. I think the more guys that you have that are backend guys by trade, you know Kane was a backend guy, he was not a linebacker coach. He was a safeties coach just like Charlton has been, and then learned to coach linebackers. That is kind of a very similar transition we are using with Charlton. His background is in the secondary. But I think years ago I was challenged with this thought, that as the game was transforming to a passing game, within the last eight to 10 years, I think that has become more of the focus to make sure that is where you are at your strength, at the best. My dad always taught me when I was a young coach that your DBs coach and your O-line coach are your two most important coaches. That is where you are going to get beat the quickest on either side of the football. I do not think that has changed in terms of from the secondary piece. But I do feel like that is, it was definitely by design and then in terms of interest for me to be able to have that component to be able to know that you have got a guy in, there is no question that we have got great secondary coaches. I was not really looking to bring in a guy to add to coach the secondary, but that it is from a knowledge perspective, understanding the way that they have done things where he has been intrigues me, to be able to expand and to grow as a defense, and that is exciting. It matters to me. I know that over the course of learning how to hire people, what to look for, I know Coach Dullaghan, he has influenced me in a major way in everything that I do, but even in hiring people. And always talking about where guys have been, who they have been around, who they have learned from to bring new ideas to our program. I know when I was hired that was something he was looking for when I came from a different state, I spent most of my time coaching high school in Florida before I came to Ben Davis. So, just that whole concept. I think I have stayed true to that and believe in that and I think he brings that backend out. But I was so impressed, I mean his understanding of everything, all three levels, was an extremely high level throughout this process and that is, and also what you have to be able to put it all together as the coordinator.

Defensive Coordinator Charlton Warren
WARREN: I appreciate you guys all being here. I am really excited today to be able to be the defensive coordinator at a great university like Indiana. I really put a lot of faith into Tom Allen and I am very blessed that he has afforded me the opportunity to lead this great group of young men. I was really drawn to Indiana, like everyone else in the country, from the great spirit, the culture and the bond that these guys play with. The things that they have been able to do has been amazing. It did not just happen overnight. It was a process that they went through. From afar, from places I have been, seeing the growth and maturity of the team over the years has been amazing. Coach Allen and his staff have done a great job. I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to be able to come here and be a part of this, join hands with these guys, and be able to go forward. I am really excited to be here and I cannot wait to get to the ball part.

Q. On what made Indiana a good fit…
WARREN: I have been pretty fortunate in that I have worked with a decent amount of defensive head coaches. There is always a certain style, persona that you get from a defensive-minded head coach. That is first and foremost. Being tough, being able to tackle, being relentless in effort, those are all things that are preached as a defensive coach. That is what we preach as a program here. His belief in me to come in and lead these guys was big. I felt that from the beginning of the process. The whole culture here, the bond that the players have, the way that the team competes resonates with me and my background of discipline, accountability and toughness. Those are all things that for me, being in the military, that really resonate. I thought this would be a good fit.

Q. On being a defensive coordinator and working in this 4-2-5 scheme…
WARREN: At some point, I always wanted to have the chance to come back as a coordinator. For me, it was always about fit, the right place. I did not want to take a job just to take a job. I thought this was the right place, the right fit based on the culture and Coach Allen's vision. As far as the scheme, the 4-2-5, every place I have been has based the defense on a five DB look, whether that is a 4-2-5 or nickel. Conceptually, it is a lot of the same concepts, the same families of pressures. A lot of that stuff is the same ask. It is just a tweak here, an adjustment here or a fundamental there. They have done a tremendous job here of playing to their strengths. In any defensive scheme, a good call is not a good call unless the players can execute it. To me, they have done an amazing job using the talents they have to get the most out of the players based on the scheme. They have adapted the scheme over the years. Three years ago to last season, it has evolved based on their personnel. I am really happy with what they have done in that realm and I am happy to come here and add to it.

Q. On coaching with energy…
WARREN: The one thing that I have always done is coach with energy and passion because of my love of the game and my love for seeing young men grow. That is very exciting. I will probably not be too quiet. You will probably be able to hear my from a couple fields over, not in a bad way. I am just very passionate about the game. I am very passionate about helping kids make plays and grow. As a coach, when it clicks for a player, the light comes on, you see them playing full tilt, not thinking, and just playing the game that they love, it is very exciting. For me, I get pretty wrapped up in that. From an intensity standpoint, it is passion, it is seeing these guys grow, and I think that kids and coaches feed off energy. The more energy you can bring, the better it is for everybody. I am super competitive, do not play me in checkers, because I want to win. To play the game like that, to coach the game like that, as long as you are still learning and building fundamentals, there is nothing wrong with showing a little emotion.

Q. On recruiting success and areas…
WARREN: When it comes to recruiting, you have to swing, you have to get in the ring, and you have to be ready to battle. To do that, I think that parents and kids care about real relationships. They do not care about you trying to sell them on anything. My job is not to sell a parent or a kid on anything. It is to present a tremendous opportunity for you to get a great education, be developed as a man, be developed as a football player and prepare you for what is next in life. That could be a husband, a doctor, a lawyer or an NFL football player. We will have all of those guys. It is about the family saying they trust my son to come play for you and your organization and that you will do right by him. Kids and parents can weed out if you are not genuine. To me, it is about being who I am and being relentless in my pursuit to know him, the mom, the dad, the grandma, the auntie, the coach, the influencers in their life. When you build genuine relationships and people know that you care about them and their interests to make them better prepared for life, I think that is a home run. At that point it is about them making an informed decision. We are not going to get them all, but if you do not try, you will not get any of them. We will try, we will get in the ring, we will throw our punches, and we are going to try to get the best young men for Indiana University to help us develop our team culture and help us win games in the future.

As far as the areas, I have recruited everywhere. I have been at some different places. Obviously, I have some strong ties being from the state of Georgia and being in the SEC for four years. I have recruited the state of Florida from my time being with the University of Florida. I have recruited nationally when it comes to defensive backs and skilled positions. For me, I can go recruit in Alaska if you need me to. If the player is good enough, I will go there.

Indiana University Athletics

Related News

Related Videos