The IU football program is in the process of replacing its second coordinator in a matter of weeks.
The defensive coordinator change was a fairly straightforward process. Tom Allen had his ace in the hole.
The offensive coordinator job is a bit more complicated. Allen’s decision may impact his own career at IU. He has to get this one right. We are hearing from multiple sources that this will be a national search. While an in house promotion is possible, it isn’t likely for this one.
One thing to keep an eye on will be whether the Hoosiers can find someone that can bring recruiting ties with them. Allen and the staff are already well connected in Indiana and Florida, but a coach that could provide a pipeline to another top region such as Texas would be a major advantage.
Here are some names to keep an eye on in the coming days:
NAMES YOU KNOW
Mike Hart: The current IU assistant head coach and running backs coach is respected as an up and coming talent and as a recruiter. The question is whether he is on track for a near term coordinator role or a longer term head coaching position. The latter seems more likely.
Matt Canada: Maryland had one of the top running attacks in the country last year and IU has Stevie Scott, Ronnie Walker, Cole Gest and Sampson James next year. Canada is a respected offensive mind, is from Indiana, and went to IU. Canada was the OC when IU went to the Insight Bowl in 2007 and led a strong offense with Kellen Lewis and Ben Chappell at the helm. The question here is whether Canada is looking for a head coaching job, and whether IU would be willing to pay what it takes.
Cam Cameron: Some may cringe due to his head coaching performance at IU. We’re still not over the decision to move Antwaan Randle El to wide receiver. But Cameron is a respected offensive coordinator, spending five seasons with the Baltimore Ravens and four years with LSU. It is a long shot, but he merits consideration.
NAMES YOU MAY NOT KNOW
Graham Harrell (North Texas OC) – Harrell was an All-American quarterback at Texas Tech from 2005-08. In 2016, he became the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach at North Texas. This past season he led a Mean Green offense that was 22nd in the FBS in scoring (36.4 points per game) and 15th in total yards (472.8 per game).
Brian Wright (Toledo OC) – The Rockets finished 11th in the country in scoring at 40.4 per game in 2018, and have been at or near the top of the MAC in virtually every statistical category during his three year tenure as OC.
Kalen DeBoer (Fresno State OC) – DeBoer is a respected up and coming coach whose offense was 24th in the nation in scoring at 34.6 per game. But can you imagine the reaction to his last name?