Indiana fires Tom Allen: Hoosiers coach ousted after finishing off third consecutive losing season

Indiana has fired football coach Tom Allen, according 247Sports. The move to part ways with Allen comes in the wake of a 35-31 loss to rival Purdue on Saturday as the Hoosiers limped to a 3-9 record in the 2023 season. The loss put a stamp on the third consecutive losing season for the program under Allen. 

The Hoosiers posted a 9-26 record over the last three seasons, the second-worst mark in the Power Five. However, a long-term contract signed in 2020 has made firing Allen difficult. Allen is now due more than $20 million, trailing Jimbo Fisher and Gus Malzahn as the third-largest buyout in college football history. Had Indiana waited until Dec. 1, 2024, Allen’s buyout would have been cut in half. 

Allen took over as Hoosiers coach in December 2016 in the wake of former boss Kevin Wilson resigning from the post after an investigation into player mistreatment. Hired from South Florida in January 2016 to serve as defensive coordinator, the school promoted Allen to the full-time position after he engineered one of the most overall impressive defensive turnarounds in the country. 

The Indiana native showed signs of life early in his tenure, leading the Hoosiers to their first eight-win season in 25 years in 2019. His biggest success with the program came during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. A dramatic win over Penn State in the opener ended with a 6-2 record and appearance in the Outback Bowl against Ole Miss. That team was led by quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who has since transferred from the program and has put together a Heisman-worthy season in 2023 with No. 4 Washington. 

Allen had a knack for finding great staffers early in his tenure. The 2019 team boasted Kalen DeBoer as offensive coordinator, who has since gone 35-11 as an FBS head coach at Washington and Fresno State. Kane Wommack was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2019 at just 32 years old. He went on to take the job at South Alabama, leading the Jaguars to the first 10-win season in program history. 

Since that 2020 season, Allen’s teams have tanked. The Hoosiers went 2-10 in 2021, 4-8 in 2022 and 3-9 in 2023, leading to the change. Allen failed to recapture the staff magic and went through three offensive coordinators in three years. The Hoosiers were 3-24 in conference play.