This is a tough post for me to write about a man I like and thought was the right hybrid of Heps passion/love of IU, and Mallory’s toughness.
But six year’s in, after yesterday’s beat down at Cinci, I have to take a new, hard look at what I’m afraid I’ve felt might be the case but was hoping would change.
Being totally honest now, without letting my “Hiller loyalty gene” affect my assessment of the results, for the first time I am now concerned Allen is not the right person for the job to take IU to another level.
While heart, intensity and optimism do go a long way. And he has seemingly recruited better than any recent IU coaches. (I now add seemingly bc we don’t play many freshman and few of the good ones have developed into studs after a few years, so player development seems to be very stifled.)
Life as a P5 HC is not easy and at a program like IU and the margin for error is thinner.
Issue #1: Your staff. If you are a first time HC in B10 East, a confident leader wants the “smartest people he can get” and is willing to have a staff full of future HC’s in the making. Unfortunately Allen either made some insecure picks, is not a great assessor of talent or was limited by salary budget to hire better staff. Then throw in hesitancy to make changes quicker if not having excellent results, in some cases anyway, and he finds himself in this situation in year six!
The only home run hire, that at the time was a break the record $850K salary hire, was DeBoer, who had an absolute proven track record. None of Womack, Sheridan, Warren or Witt came in with a proven OC or DC track record. Sheridan, Womack Warren & Witt we’re all supposedly “hot young coaches” Womack turned out a good one. I feel like Witt can still be a good one, but he’s not solely in charge of defense to be held fully accountable. I feel Warren was asked to leave in a year (bc on defense Allen has more conviction) and Sheridan was way over his head.
Bell had a prior track record, but even though I blame UMass on bad career choice by a young coach wanting a HC job, he didn’t come in with DeBoer credentials. And he’s off to a “better than Sheridan” start, but that is a low bar.
Wanting to be fair, how much of that is IU AD giving Allen a limited salary pool to work with? The money give back for Sheridan NEVER s well with me, sent a possibility chilling message to Allen: you have to chip away your salary for every bad coach you want to replace. I could be wrong, but that’s how it looked.
I was calling for Hiller’s job easily 2 seasons ago, maybe 3. He started with Allen. After 3 seasons the OL was never great and the OL recruits never off the charts or developing well either. Everyone pointed out “Where is the development?” But yet Hiller is up to $500K and no one could figure out how the day after PU we didn’t have a “We thank Coaches Sheridan and Hiller for their service” it was just Sheridan. I thought a new OC should have a say in picking his staff, but at least his OL coach?
I have been critical of our third “coordinator” too -Special teams. The prior one, our LB coach who Allen made just STC to give him “coordinator experience” was horrible in that role for 2 seasons. Thankfully DeBoer took him with him to Fresno St. His replacement, Coach T, who was bumped up to staff originally from a grad assistant, is a rah rah guy, but once again, this season we’ve seen two kicks out of bounds in 2 critical moments late in games, no real return game and vs Cinci we saw a roughing the kicker in 4th quarter when we had them 4th & 15, and Delp (Why is he our return guy?) fair catch inside the 5 also late in 4th quarter. Our special teams has good actual specialists (I credit Allen for that recruiting focus) but really bad execution and no real success for last 2-3 years under current coach T. Special Teams is a big part of football!
Game Management- I’ve tried to overlook some past criticisms, but I can’t say I have ever felt like we are a well oiled machine in game decision making or clock/time out management under Allen. Yesterday a play to epitomize that, we are trying to speed a wildcat play on 4th & 1, but no one appeared to tell McCully, who had to rush onto the field to be the actual wildcat! Then Cinci calls a timeout, alters it’s D, and then we come out of a timeout with a procedure call, move back 5 yards and have to punt! That kind of keystone cops may fall on Bell the OC, or “HC of the offense” per Allen, but it’s a TEAM thing in the end that has to fall on the HC.
Player development: We have seen some players on defense improve: this year I think of DE’s Bryant & Robbins, as well as LB’s Casey and Jones (playing quite well). Pierre too in backfield.
But it kills me to see what’s happening with Mullen this year. That guy brings joy to the team (watch how much he smiles doing fight song in locker room after a win.). He was a FR all American and he seems to be regressing this year, and his face shows it on the sideline. JWill looked more lost yesterday too. Those two guys actually can play I believe, but somehow things are not clicking for them and DB’s.
And what about other big recent top recruits? Haven’t we been stacking classes? Where are they now?
The positives for Allen: I do believe the team has grit and fight, which is a huge intangible. I feel Allen is a likeable guy who breeds loyalty, and the team represents itself and IU well.
But as much as this pains me to say, I now wonder if DC is the best spot on the bus for Allen as a coach? Imagine DeBoer as HC and Allen as his DC. I think with a highly productive offense, last year’s D and even this year’s D would have fared much better.
As a defensive player, when you see the ineptitude of Sheridan, Hiller and and offense that can’t function with ease, it starts to hurt your own confidence, enthusiasm & mental game. They can’t carry them forever, and Cinci game, sadly felt the most like last year. A year where THAT crap 2-10 team held MSU to 15 pts but lost 15-10 (with a pick 6 from the offense). They also had Cinci on the ropes but fumbled on the one, threw two bad picks, and gave up a KO return for a TD right after we scored to go up.. It breaks the spirit of the proud D who has made lots of big stops along the way.
I love IUFB. and have so wanted Allen to succeed. But I said it after last season, by sticking with Hiller, he was risking his job and fan trust, and sure enough it is now happening with me. I don’t want IU to be a laughing stock team and like we see now at Kansas (and everywhere DeBoer goes) programs can be turned around, “even at IU.” But it takes excellence, which I think Allen has the potential for as a DC, but not sure he has shown the ability to surround himself and lead a staff to be able to take IU to a higher place in B10 or beyond.
I have officially pulled the band aid and blinders off. It saddens me but it’s only through truth and accountability that we can we deal with the issues head on.
Here is to IU finding its true north ahead. May Coach Allen find a way to make the changes he needs to make it. Or the AD to find the guts and money to make a change and get a true proven commodity (see UK hire of Stoops and results there now)
Let’s Go IU.
