Indiana Fires Football Coach Tom Allen After Third Consecutive Losing Season
Indiana University has made the decision to terminate head football coach Tom Allen, sources confirmed to ESPN on Sunday. This move comes just a day after the Hoosiers finished their third consecutive losing season.
Allen, who took over as head coach in 2017 following a season as the team’s defensive coordinator, led the team to a record of 33-49 during his tenure. With Indiana finishing the season 3-9 and dropping their final three games, including the rivalry contest at Purdue, the administration felt it was time for a change.
In 2020, the Hoosiers reached national prominence with a 6-2 record during the COVID-shortened season, finishing No. 12 nationally. This was the team’s best finish since 1967. As a result, Allen was rewarded in March 2021 with a new seven-year contract that increased his salary to $4.9 million annually and included a buyout of $20.8 million if the school chose to fire him before Dec. 1, 2023. The buyout was set to drop to about $8 million in 2024.
Despite being owed his full remaining compensation according to the contract, Indiana went ahead with the decision to relieve Allen of his coaching duties, marking one of the most expensive firings in college football history.
Allen, a native of New Castle, Indiana, began his coaching career at the high school level, including a stint at Ben Davis in Indianapolis, before transitioning to the college ranks. He served as an assistant at various universities before joining Indiana as the defensive coordinator in 2016 and ultimately taking over as head coach in 2017.
Indiana’s staff is scheduled to meet around 10 a.m. ET to discuss the next steps for the program following Allen’s dismissal. The Indianapolis Star first reported the news of Allen’s termination.
The school will now begin the search for its next head football coach after parting ways with Tom Allen.