Refreshed Offensive Coordinator target List

[MMcCormick]

Updated List. I eliminated name that I don't think are realistic due to retention or salary limitations. Got a new #1 on the list based on more research. Focused on smaller school OC's with coordinator experienced that are likely "hirable".

Eliminated Names: Seth Litrell, Phillip Montgomery, Justin Fuentes, Matt Luke, Sterlin Gilbert, Dan Mullen. If any of these guys got fired or are interested you'd' probably take one of them.

Sterlin Gilbert - Recently fired Syracuse OC. Improved Syracuse's offense dramatically in one season. Not sure if there is an uknown story here, but productivity has never been an issue with Gilbert. A bit of a coaching nomad, but he's been successful at every stop. Never had an offense that did not produce. Runs a spread with very successful rushing attacks.

2021- Syracuse - 25 pts a game (previous year they scored 17)
2018 South Florida - 29 pts, 438 yards per game of offense
2017 South Florida - 38 pts/game, 513 yards per game
2016 Texas - 32pts/game, 492 ypg, 5.9 yards per play


1a. Tim Cramsey - Offensive Coordinator at Marshall coming off excellent year. Has been retained across two coaches at Marshall which is unusual. He's been a productive and sometimes record breaking offensive coordinator at five different schools. Marshall's offense gets better with every year he is there. This year it averaged 35 pts a game with a balanced run pass attack. Has had two years where his teams scored over 40 points a game at prior stops. Has a balanced run and pass offense. He's also a quarterbacks coach. Unlike other targets this one is affordable and is probably the most attainable under the radar type hire the Hoosiers could make.
2021 - 35pts/g, 480 yards per game - Marshall
2020- 28pts/game, 391 yards per game, 5.9 yards/play Marshall
2019 - 26pts/game, 393 yards per game, 5.8 yards/play Marshall
2018 - 29pts/game, 388 yards per game, 5.6 yards/play Marshall
2017 - 44pts/game. 538 yards per game, 7 yards/play Sam Houston State
2016 - 25pts/game 382 yards per game, Nevada

1b. Doug Meachem - TCU - Will probably be let go at TCU. Long time coordinator with a lot of record breaking offenses. One down strike is one year at Kansas as OC did not go well. That would be a comparable to IU. Probably lands a bigger job, but he's the best career OC available. He also is a former lineman and has coached every position on the offense.
2021 - TCU 29pts/game, 440 yards per game, 6.7 yards per play TCU
2016 - TCU 31 pts/game, 468 yards per game
2015 - TCU 42pts/game, 560 yards a game TCU
2014 - TCU 46 pts a game, 533 yards a game TCU

1c. Mike Bloomgren - Head Coach at Rice. The architect of Stanford's highly regarded power rushing offenses from 2013 to 2017. He's an offensive line coach by trade which would go a long way toward fixing Indiana's main problem. Would probably be a "Sliver Bullet" hire in terms of bringing the physical hard nose rushing attack that fits Allen's personality. Offense improved dramatically in his three year tenure as offensive coordinator averaging 38 points a game featuring a dominant rushing attack that averaged almost 300 yards a game. Coached a dozen linemen who went on to play in the NFL. He's an elite offensive line coach in addition to being a potential offensive coordinator. His down side is that his Rice offenses have been terrible and have not been able to run the ball.

2. Zack Kittley - Western Kentucky OC - has broken records with Western Kentucky's offense after doing the same as a head coach of Houston Baptist. Not much run game to speak of but his offense scored 41 points a game this year and was third in yards per play. He would be a short term answer as he's a likely head coach candidate. IU would have to be willing to go with an air raid spread which has not delivered as many wins as run game spreads.

2021 43 pts a game, 528 yards per game, 7.2 yards per play - Western Kentucky
2019 - 428 yards per game - Houston Baptist

3. Frank Ponce - App State Offensive Coordinator - First year offensive coordinator did a great job at App State. Highly regarded QB coach. Offense averaged 450 yards and 36 pts a game.

2021 - 37 pts/game 450 yards a game, 6/2 yards per play - Appalachian State

4. Willy Korn - OC at Coastal Carolina - Having an awful lot of success at Coastal Carolina. Question is whether the head coach who is heavily involved with the offense is the real genius here. Top OC's under offensive minded coaches tend to do well, but it's never a sure thing when the head coach is also heavily involved in the offense.

2021 - 40 pts game, 490 yards a game, 7.6 yards per play - Coastal Carolina
2020 37 pts game, 450 yards, 6.7 yards per play - Coastal Carolina

5. Barry Lunney Jr. Lunney has had two very strong years at OC at UTSA. Has the strangest resume in that he was a college offensive coordinator then became a high school offensive coordinator for eight years, then a college position coach then a college OC. He is highly regarded and was Arkansas's head coach for two games. Offense averaged 6 yards a play, 440 a game with 38 pts a game.

2021 - 38 pts per game, 440 yards per game, 6.1 yard per play UTSA
2020 - 28 pts per game, 415, 5.8 yards per play UTSA

6. Eric Eidsness - Northern Illinois OC. This guy is a an up and comer who has done a good job at Northern Illinois. His offense has been very balanced. Was OC for six years at South Dakota State and oversaw record breaking offenses during this period. Has a very balanced spread attack. He coaches under a coach who was never an OC so it looks like Eidsness truly coordinates this offense unlike other candidates who are "right hand man" type coaches.

2021 - 31pts per game, 420 yards per game, 6.1 yards per play Northern Illinois
2020 - 24 pts per game, 367 yards per game, 5 yards per play Northern Illinois
2019 - 22 pts per game, 322 yards per game Northern Illinois
2018 - 42 pts a game South Dakota State

7. Ryan Grubb OC Fresno State - If you can't get Kalen Deboer maybe you get his protege. Grubb would be a strong candidate for three reasons. The first is that he's a long time line coach and if you hired the wrong line coach he's going to know how to step in and fix that. His teams allowed less than a sack a game for the past three seasons. He's also now the QB coach so he's got a very unusual background. And of course he coaches with Deboer so our players will know both his offense and his terminology. He coached two really good offensive coaches. Only question is whether he's a right hand man or the leader of the offense. Deboer is a front runner at Washington which probably rules Grubb out.


8. Anthony Tucker - Utah State OC. Former OC for Josh Heupel at UCF who has vastly improved Utah State's offense in his first year on the job. Pass heavy offense. Offense went from 15pts a game in the year before he got there to 32 a game this year. Had very balanced offenses at UCF. An ex running backs coach who coordinated the passing game at UCF.

10. Mike Thiessen OC Air Force. An unconventional pick for a school that might need an unconventional approach. Been an OC for a long time. Offenses are run heavy option hybrid that eat up clock and protect the defense. Has lead to an awful lot of wins.

11. Sam Gregg - Liberty Offensive Line Coach - Former Offensive Coordinator at West Georgia for six years. Coached under a great offensive mind at Liberty and has a decade of former OC experience. Might be a strong candidate because of his background as both a coordinator and a line coach. Might kill two birds with one stone or hedge against another bad line coach hire.

12. Robert Weiner - OC at Toledo who was Tom Allen Jr's former high school coach. Likely a relationship here. Toledo was respectable offensively this year, but not outstanding. Toledo's coach has a reputation as an excellent offensive mind. Weiner won four state championships as a high school coach. Allen could do much worse. Toledo's offense was second in the MAC in scoring at 33 pts a game.

2021 - 34 pts/game, 430 yards per game, 6.1 yards per play.
2020 - 35 pts/game, 494 yards per game, 6.4 yards per play

13. Justin Frye - UCLA Offensive Coordinator Former IU player. Unlikely to leave an OC job at UCLA. Ranked lower because he's an unlikely candidate.

14. Brian Hartline - Ohio State Receivers Coach - Elite Elite recruiter. Is coaching under one of the best offensive minds in the country. Downside is no offensive coordinator experience. Would certainly fix our receivers though. He's viewed as a future coaching star and should at least be interviewed.

 

[td75]

I wonder if a Zach Kittley hire would appeal to incoming QB, Josh Hoover? I'm sure it certainly would with the pass happy offense he utilizes.

Lots of interesting names on that list. The first time OC at Appalachian State is interesting, just maybe not enough experience?

 

[Gamaliel.]

Another interesting name is Mike Bloomgren. He's the current HC at Rice, but seems like he's destined to be fired. He formerly was the OC and OL coach at Stanford, where he had some success. The style of offense that Stanford has run in the past seems along the lines of what Coach Allen has said he's looking for, I think, so that could be appealing to him.

 

[MMcCormick]

Another interesting name is Mike Bloomgren. He's the current HC at Rice, but seems like he's destined to be fired. He formerly was the OC and OL coach at Stanford, where he had some success. The style of offense that Stanford has run in the past seems along the lines of what Coach Allen has said he's looking for, I think, so that could be appealing to him.

Read Bloomgren's bio. Would be a really good hire. He ran the most successful power rushing offense in the country and is an offensive line guru. Just what the doctor ordered. I'd be surprised if he did not return to Stanford though. They have not been the same since he left. Moved him to #1 on the list as he's got head coaching experience and seems like the best fit in terms of running half the program.

 

[76-1]

Read Bloomgren's bio. Would be a really good hire. He ran the most successful power rushing offense in the country and is an offensive line guru. Just what the doctor ordered. I'd be surprised if he did not return to Stanford though. They have not been the same since he left. Moved him to #1 on the list as he's got head coaching experience and seems like the best fit in terms of running half the program.

The real steal would be if we could pick him up as an OL Coach and then hire a home run at OC...

 

[MMcCormick]

The real steal would be if we could pick him up as an OL Coach and then hire a home run at OC...

Yes. That would be a coup. He's clearly an elite line coach. Whether he's an elite coordinator while coaching under a Shaw who is a former coordinator is less clear. Shaw has had zero success though since Bloomgren left.

 

[Hoosiers47614]

Bloomgren would be interesting more from a philosophical perspective than anything else.
It would mean, almost certainly, a shift from the spread to a pro-style offense, and that's a massive change. Not just for the current players, but for IU as a program and what has been its identity for quite a few years.

It is something I think could work in the longer term, but also something that likely risks some significant short-term pain, since our current players aren't used to a system anything like that. Although, it'd be hard for any offense to be worse than what we've seen this year.

 

[Chase5432]

Really great list. Here’s hoping we hire someone on this list and not make some out of left field decision.

I think if a poll was taken on this board after the Debord and Sheridan hires, a majority of us, or probably somewhere around 70-80%, would have predicted those as bad hires.

I personally like Ponce and Cramsey the best.

 

[IUNCAAChamps2012]

Bloomgren would be interesting more from a philosophical perspective than anything else.
It would mean, almost certainly, a shift from the spread to a pro-style offense, and that's a massive change. Not just for the current players, but for IU as a program and what has been its identity for quite a few years.

It is something I think could work in the longer term, but also something that likely risks some significant short-term pain, since our current players aren't used to a system anything like that. Although, it'd be hard for any offense to be worse than what we've seen this year.

this mirrors my thinking. Power run offense relies on good OL. I’d be shocked if our OL could deliver….people would be calling for his head quickly. However as OL coach he can incrementally improve the OL in support of a Cramsey led offense (or insert another name on the list).

 

[BayernFan]

Is it certain that Sheridan will be replaced?

 

[UncleMark]

Is it certain that Sheridan will be replaced?

It would be shocking (IMO) if he isn't.

 

[IndyIUFan66]

Is it certain that Sheridan will be replaced?

How possibly can Allen not make adjustments after this year’s debacle. The obvious two are Sheridan & Hiller. (Sadly, Dead men coaching today.)

Heard has had a tough year for WR play.

I would strongly add Coach T & Special Teams on a very hot seat. In terms of return game, it’s non-existent. And some key mental lapses this year that hurt too (Cinci game!)

DL coach could be too in that our pressure on QB from D-Line has been pretty limited and not sure how good a recruiter he is either.

Dolson needs to help surround Allen with freaking trained assassins of an assistant coaching staff. A competent offense & special teams this season (and yes competent, not even elite) could have been difference between bowling and for sure TWO top 10 wins at the time (Cinci & MSU). Things spiraled from there.

 

[MMcCormick]

How possibly can Allen not make adjustments after this year’s debacle. The obvious two are Sheridan & Hiller. (Sadly, Dead men coaching today.)

Heard has had a tough year for WR play.

I would strongly add Coach T & Special Teams on a very hot seat. In terms of return game, it’s non-existent. And some key mental lapses this year that hurt too (Cinci game!)

DL coach could be too in that our pressure on QB from D-Line has been pretty limited and not sure how good a recruiter he is either.

Dolson needs to help surround Allen with freaking trained assassins of an assistant coaching staff. A competent offense & special teams this season (and yes competent, not even elite) could have been difference between bowling and for sure TWO top 10 wins at the time (Cinci & MSU). Things spiraled from there.

There is a good argument as you pointed out that half the staff should go.

 

[MMcCormick]

Is it certain that Sheridan will be replaced?

If he isn't fired then it's the head coach not the coordinator that should be fired.

 

[76-1]

How possibly can Allen not make adjustments after this year’s debacle. The obvious two are Sheridan & Hiller. (Sadly, Dead men coaching today.)

Heard has had a tough year for WR play.

I would strongly add Coach T & Special Teams on a very hot seat. In terms of return game, it’s non-existent. And some key mental lapses this year that hurt too (Cinci game!)

DL coach could be too in that our pressure on QB from D-Line has been pretty limited and not sure how good a recruiter he is either.

Dolson needs to help surround Allen with freaking trained assassins of an assistant coaching staff. A competent offense & special teams this season (and yes competent, not even elite) could have been difference between bowling and for sure TWO top 10 wins at the time (Cinci & MSU). Things spiraled from there.

I'd also add another Strengh & Conditioning Asst. Coach with a background in whatever Offense we decide to run to help lead summer practices on the O side... It's clear that the Offense was resting on its 2020 laurels and has been severely lacking in leadership from the get go...

 

[fkfootball]

Here’s the question. How many coaches can a HC get rid of, without really blowing up the program?

Let’s say these guys get canned.
Sheridan
Hiller
Heard
Peoples
Teegardin



That’s 5 assts. Thats a huge turnover.

 

[Hoosiers Rising]

Here’s the question. How many coaches can a HC get rid of, without really blowing up the program?

Let’s say these guys get canned.
Sheridan
Hiller
Heard
Peoples
Teegardin



That’s 5 assts. Thats a huge turnover.

Harbaugh cleaned house last year and it seemed to come out all right.

 

[IndyIUFan66]

Here’s the question. How many coaches can a HC get rid of, without really blowing up the program?

Let’s say these guys get canned.
Sheridan
Hiller
Heard
Peoples
Teegardin



That’s 5 assts. Thats a huge turnover.

If we got top notch assistants at each spot I think we could be fine. They could probably be strong on recruiting too.

 

[Champs1976]

Here’s the question. How many coaches can a HC get rid of, without really blowing up the program?

Let’s say these guys get canned.
Sheridan
Hiller
Heard
Peoples
Teegardin



That’s 5 assts. Thats a huge turnover.

Doubt Allen has the mindset to whack a lot of folks that support his LEO. I suspect Hiller may be gone, absolutely no way to justify keeping him, but he may feel an obligation to keep Sheridan for one more year since he elevated him into a job he clearly wasn't ready for and has been terrible at.

Allen has to decide if his mission is being a BIG 10 head football coach and winning major college football games or being a quasi evangelist for LEO. I heard a lot of LEO and saw a severely unprepared and underachieving team in virtually every area starting with the very first game.

The losses of good players - Whop, both Johnsons, Scott, doesn't explain it. Even the injuries, was Tiawan that valuable that no one could step up? Allen was supposed to be a defensive coach so even if Warren wasn't cutting it, at least Allen has the background to right the defensive side, but he didn't do even that and the defense stunk all season as well. Allen can't help a poor performing offense because he knows nothing about offense. I'm not sure he can even evaluate offensive coaches well with his lack of knowledge.

So Allen surrounded himself with assistant coaches that believe in LEO, but maybe aren't very good coaches and/or recruiters. At least that's what it looks like on the outside. If he doesn't have really good coordinators, he doesn't appear to be a very good head coach.

Should he make wholesale changes in coaches, probably but my guess is he will let Hiller go and probably no one else and next season will be a replay of this season.

I don't like Harbaugh, but boy did that team improve a lot in one off season. Not only did he can the right guys, but he also hired the right guys. Is anyone convinced at this point Allen can consistently hire good coaches? And really, why was Hiller even back for this season, the OL has been medicre or worse every year he has been the line coach.

 

[Hoosiers Rising]

Doubt Allen has the mindset to whack a lot of folks that support his LEO. I suspect Hiller may be gone, absolutely no way to justify keeping him, but he may feel an obligation to keep Sheridan for one more year since he elevated him into a job he clearly wasn't ready for and has been terrible at.

Allen has to decide if his mission is being a BIG 10 head football coach and winning major college football games or being a quasi evangelist for LEO. I heard a lot of LEO and saw a severely unprepared and underachieving team in virtually every area starting with the very first game.

The losses of good players - Whop, both Johnsons, Scott, doesn't explain it. Even the injuries, was Tiawan that valuable that no one could step up? Allen was supposed to be a defensive coach so even if Warren wasn't cutting it, at least Allen has the background to right the defensive side, but he didn't do even that and the defense stunk all season as well. Allen can't help a poor performing offense because he knows nothing about offense. I'm not sure he can even evaluate offensive coaches well with his lack of knowledge.

So Allen surrounded himself with assistant coaches that believe in LEO, but maybe aren't very good coaches and/or recruiters. At least that's what it looks like on the outside. If he doesn't have really good coordinators, he doesn't appear to be a very good head coach.

Should he make wholesale changes in coaches, probably but my guess is he will let Hiller go and probably no one else and next season will be a replay of this season.

I don't like Harbaugh, but boy did that team improve a lot in one off season. Not only did he can the right guys, but he also hired the right guys. Is anyone convinced at this point Allen can consistently hire good coaches? And really, why was Hiller even back for this season, the OL has been medicre or worse every year he has been the line coach.

We are 2-10 and UM is probably going to win the B1G and make the playoff. What is the common denominator?

 

[sparkeyreturns]

Here’s the question. How many coaches can a HC get rid of, without really blowing up the program?

Let’s say these guys get canned.
Sheridan
Hiller
Heard
Peoples
Teegardin



That’s 5 assts. Thats a huge turnover.

Only these three
1) Sheridan
2)Hiller
3)Warren

These three are straight clowns.

 

[Upset Alert]

We need to drug test everybody, like right now. Players, coaches, coordinators, reporters, athletic directors, radio announcers, etc. Never seen a bigger failure according to expectations. LEO = Lacking Enough Offense

 

[HoosierAlum07]

IU needs to throw whatever money they can to get Notre Dame OC Tommy Rees! Hes a good play caller!

 

[Champs1976]

We are 2-10 and UM is probably going to win the B1G and make the playoff. What is the common denominator?

None at this point. IU defeated UM easily last year, Harbaugh fired a number of assistants and this year they will be BIG champs. Unless Allen replaces some coaches there won't even be a chance of a common denominator.

 

[Chase5432]

Doubt Allen has the mindset to whack a lot of folks that support his LEO. I suspect Hiller may be gone, absolutely no way to justify keeping him, but he may feel an obligation to keep Sheridan for one more year since he elevated him into a job he clearly wasn't ready for and has been terrible at.

Allen has to decide if his mission is being a BIG 10 head football coach and winning major college football games or being a quasi evangelist for LEO. I heard a lot of LEO and saw a severely unprepared and underachieving team in virtually every area starting with the very first game.

The losses of good players - Whop, both Johnsons, Scott, doesn't explain it. Even the injuries, was Tiawan that valuable that no one could step up? Allen was supposed to be a defensive coach so even if Warren wasn't cutting it, at least Allen has the background to right the defensive side, but he didn't do even that and the defense stunk all season as well. Allen can't help a poor performing offense because he knows nothing about offense. I'm not sure he can even evaluate offensive coaches well with his lack of knowledge.

So Allen surrounded himself with assistant coaches that believe in LEO, but maybe aren't very good coaches and/or recruiters. At least that's what it looks like on the outside. If he doesn't have really good coordinators, he doesn't appear to be a very good head coach.

Should he make wholesale changes in coaches, probably but my guess is he will let Hiller go and probably no one else and next season will be a replay of this season.

I don't like Harbaugh, but boy did that team improve a lot in one off season. Not only did he can the right guys, but he also hired the right guys. Is anyone convinced at this point Allen can consistently hire good coaches? And really, why was Hiller even back for this season, the OL has been medicre or worse every year he has been the line coach.

If Sheridan is still around next year, I think a lot of the fan base is going to be lost, at least next year. I personally wouldn’t bother with having bowl expectations next year.

 

[Crusty The Baker]

The real steal would be if we could pick him up as an OL Coach and then hire a home run at OC...

Rice pays Bloomgren $1.4M, which is $400k more than IU pays Sheridan and Hiller combined. That’s what OSU pays Kevin Wilson to be O-coordinator, BTW.

Given that Allen’s aptitude and background is on defense, IU must pony up on offensive staff to be competitive. How do you do that and keep the Athletic Department in the black? It’s probably not easy.

 

[welshman#]

Rice pays Bloomgren $1.4M, which is $400k more than IU pays Sheridan and Hiller combined. That’s what OSU pays Kevin Wilson to be O-coordinator, BTW.

Given that Allen’s aptitude and background is on defense, IU must pony up on offensive staff to be competitive. How do you do that and keep the Athletic Department in the black? It’s probably not easy.

especially when attendance drops by almost 28% from the Ohio State game to the Minnesota game

 

[IUHDog]

How possibly can Allen not make adjustments after this year’s debacle. The obvious two are Sheridan & Hiller. (Sadly, Dead men coaching today.)

Heard has had a tough year for WR play.

I would strongly add Coach T & Special Teams on a very hot seat. In terms of return game, it’s non-existent. And some key mental lapses this year that hurt too (Cinci game!)

DL coach could be too in that our pressure on QB from D-Line has been pretty limited and not sure how good a recruiter he is either.

Dolson needs to help surround Allen with freaking trained assassins of an assistant coaching staff. A competent offense & special teams this season (and yes competent, not even elite) could have been difference between bowling and for sure TWO top 10 wins at the time (Cinci & MSU). Things spiraled from there.

Seems to me Heard's recruiting taller but slower receivers is not paying off. There is a significant need for speedier wide receivers. It doesn't matter how short you are if you can get separation.

 

[vesuvius13]

Is it certain that Sheridan will be replaced?

Yes he is being replace as of today.

 

[vesuvius13]

If he isn't fired then it's the head coach not the coordinator that should be fired.

Sheridan is gone as of today. Waiting to see who else will be let go later this week.

 

[iujt2873]

I see Cutcliffe has been let go at Duke. Would this be a realistic/ good option? Asking sincerely. I feel like this is the type of hire CTA needs on offense. Someone with experience who can takeover that side of the team for him and ideally will not get scooped up by another school in a year or 2 due to his age. Not sure if he is another Debord. Wondering what the pundits on here think.

 

[welshman#]

I see Cutcliffe has been let go at Duke. Would this be a realistic/ good option? Asking sincerely. I feel like this is the type of hire CTA needs on offense. Someone with experience who can takeover that side of the team for him and ideally will not get scooped up by another school in a year or 2 due to his age. Not sure if he is another Debord. Wondering what the pundits on here think.

Think Cut is around 67 or so and doubt he’d be up for a “new project” at this point in time

I’d rather have Chip Lindsey anyway if I thought I had a shot at him

 

[Tegray1]

What about Tom Herman. Matt Nagy is getting fired by Bears. He should be looking for a job now.

 

[welshman#]

What about Tom Herman. Matt Nagy is getting fired by Bears. He should be looking for a job now.

If Akron hires Wilson I wouldn’t be totally shocked to see Herman end up back at Ohio State

 

[UncleMark]

If Akron hires Wilson I wouldn’t be totally shocked to see Herman end up back at Ohio State

Is that for real? He'd step down that far for a head coaching job?

Interesting. I figured he'd hold out for at least a low end P5 position (like Indiana).

 

[sparkeyreturns]

Could you imagine if someone would have said that trash we hired was our best option?

 

[vesuvius13]

Seems to me Heard's recruiting taller but slower receivers is not paying off. There is a significant need for speedier wide receivers. It doesn't matter how short you are if you can get separation.

The recruiting of receivers has changed now so I guess coach Heard got the message to change.