Indiana fires Tom Allen, owes him $21M

[ichawk24]

Indiana fires Allen, reaches $15.5 million buyout

After dropping its final three games to finish 3-9, Indiana has fired football coach Tom Allen and will pay him $15.5 million in an agreed settlement.

www.espn.com

Indiana coach Tom Allen fired, owed $20.8M buyout, sources say​

Indiana has fired football coach Tom Allen, sources confirmed to ESPN on Sunday, a day after the Hoosiers completed their third consecutive losing season.

Allen, who had led Indiana since 2017 after spending a season as the team's defensive coordinator, finished 33-49 as Hoosiers coach. Indiana dropped its final three games, including Saturday's rivalry contest at Purdue, to finish 3-9. It had gone 9-26 overall and 3-23 in Big Ten play since the 2020 season.

Indiana reached national prominence in 2020, as the team went 6-2 during the COVID-shortened season and finished No. 12 nationally, its best finish since 1967 (No. 4). In March 2021, Indiana rewarded Allen 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 would have dropped to about $8 million in 2024.

Allen is owed his full remaining compensation, according to the contract, but Indiana still went ahead with the change, one of the most expensive in college football history. Indiana's staff is set to meet around 10 a.m. ET.

The Indianapolis Star first reported Allen's dismissal Sunday.

Allen, a native of New Castle, Indiana, came up as a high school coach, including at Ben Davis in Indianapolis, before entering the college ranks. He served as an assistant at Arkansas State, Ole Miss and South Florida before joining coach Kevin Wilson's staff as Indiana defensive coordinator in 2016. Allen took over the program when Wilson resigned after the 2016 season.

 

[kceasthawk]

You could see that one coming

 

[CadeHawk]

Note to ADs if there is ever another pandemic. if a coach does really well during that season. Do NOT put much stock into it.

 

[icwesthawk]

Man, that's a lot of cash. What did he do to deserve that contract?

 

[SolarHawk]

Man, that's a lot of cash. What did he do to deserve that contract?

6-2 apparently lol

 

[fezzador]

Note to ADs if there is ever another pandemic. if a coach does really well during that season. Do NOT put much stock into it.

And they couldn't beat a practically winless Ole Miss in their bowl.

 

[Hawktagonapus]

Oof. Should have stirred up a sex scandal to fire for cause.

 

[hawkisoaker]

And yall bitch about KFs salary vs performance… lol. Look what’s coming after KF retires, you’re seeing it rt here!

 

[bluroptimo]

Indiana fires Allen, reaches $15.5 million buyout

After dropping its final three games to finish 3-9, Indiana has fired football coach Tom Allen and will pay him $15.5 million in an agreed settlement.

www.espn.com

Indiana coach Tom Allen fired, owed $20.8M buyout, sources say​

Indiana has fired football coach Tom Allen, sources confirmed to ESPN on Sunday…

Prez Ilson just announced her four part HC replacement plan.

Get me Tom Allen, four reasons he’s our next guy…
A. he’s used to being fired, perfect fit.
2. the taxpayers will cover the bill.
C. I loved him on Home Improvement
D. On a multiple choice test always pick D

 

[Scott559]

And yall bitch about KFs salary vs performance… lol. Look what’s coming after KF retires, you’re seeing it rt here!

The infrastructure built into the Iowa program vs the Indiana program is light years apart. Obviously there are no guarantees but the foundation built at Iowa IMO gives Iowa a good starting point when the time comes for a change at head coach.

 

[Herky T Hawk]

O

Oof. Should have stirred up a sex scandal to fire for cause.

Or just waited 5 weeks to save 12MM dollars. Not very fiscally responsible by a governmental entity.

 

[InsaneHawkJJP]

And yall bitch about KFs salary vs performance… lol. Look what’s coming after KF retires, you’re seeing it rt here!

Your way off base, we could see a step back, but our last 2 hires have been damn good. I don’t see any reason to believe we won’t make another smart hire, hopefully with Iowa ties.

 

[jonesy5960]

Man, that's a lot of cash. What did he do to deserve that contract?

Pocket change. Just ask Nebraska.

 

[HawkeyeFreak]

Your way off base, we could see a step back, but our last 2 hires have been damn good. I don’t see any reason to believe we won’t make another smart hire, hopefully with Iowa ties.

I hope so. You'd think Iowa is in a much better place than Indiana when it come to football. But the odds of a third consecutive great coach seem less than good. It will be a scary time when KF hangs it up. Our place in the college football world isn't necessarily any better than Illinois or Minnesota.

 

[TonyTheTiger.1865]

I have never been fired from a job in my life, maybe that was a mistake?😂

 

[hawkisoaker]

The infrastructure built into the Iowa program vs the Indiana program is light years apart. Obviously there are no guarantees but the foundation built at Iowa IMO gives Iowa a good starting point when the time comes for a change at head coach.

.. and why? Because of what KF did with it.

 

[hawkisoaker]

I hope so. You'd think Iowa is in a much better place than Indiana when it come to football. But the odds of a third consecutive great coach seem less than good. It will be a scary time when KF hangs it up. Our place in the college football world isn't necessarily any better than Illinois or Minnesota.

Spot on

 

[Slappy Pappy]

O

Or just waited 5 weeks to save 12MM dollars. Not very fiscally responsible by a governmental entity.

5 days?

"In March 2021, Indiana rewarded Allen 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 would have dropped to about $8 million in 2024."

 

[Thunderlips71]

That’s a lot of money, especially for a school like Indiana.

 

[retrodent]

Man, that's a lot of cash. What did he do to deserve that contract?

What do any of them?

 

[Mohawkeye]

These ADs who sign these golden parachute deals should themselves be fired. Irresponsible.

 

[amahawk]

Man, that's a lot of cash. What did he do to deserve that contract?

Hired a good agent.

 

[jonesy5960]

5 days?

"In March 2021, Indiana rewarded Allen 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 would have dropped to about $8 million in 2024."

I think people are getting this wrong
The buyout dropped to 8 million in December of 2024, not December of 2023.

IU football: What is Tom Allen's buyout if he's fired?

More than a few Indiana football fans will ask themselves Saturday whether, win or lose, Tom Allen is coaching his final game as Hoosiers head coach.

www.indystar.com

 

[ANYCHawk]

These ADs who sign these golden parachute deals should themselves be fired. Irresponsible.

Um its the way it works. Don't agree to one, guess what kind of coach you're gonna get to agree to it?

 

[OutbackBowl2017]

Honestly, if I’m AD, I wait till after next season in the new B1G to see what the team can do with a modified schedule that won’t include Michigan, tOSU, PSU, and MSU every season.

Worse case, he gets fired after next season with the $8 million buy out to save $13 million. It's not like they weren’t close to winning games all this season. Close losses at PSU or get that stop when needed to win like the Illini game in OT.

Unless they just wanted to cut bait and not take any chances of success with the new B1G set up with him at the helm. He will be a rich DC for some school next season.

Next year they go to UCLA, NW, MSU, and tOSU, with homes games vs Nebraska, Maryland, Washington, Michigan, and Purdue. Finally miss PSU.

 

[onlyTheObvious]

Play Michigan Penn St and Ohio State every year and nobody is going to last a long time.

Just a fact.

 

[QChawks]

Play Michigan Penn St and Ohio State every year and nobody is going to last a long time.

Just a fact.

This

Deadbeat job. Their standards are too high.

 

[MeetTheFerentzes]

The infrastructure built into the Iowa program vs the Indiana program is light years apart. Obviously there are no guarantees but the foundation built at Iowa IMO gives Iowa a good starting point when the time comes for a change at head coach.

Sorry, you're not helping with the KF d*ck-riders' narrative about all the doom-and-gloom on the horizon as soon as the old man hangs it up...

 

[MitchLL]

I imagine Indiana wanted to get a jump start on hiring a new staff.
There will likely be 6-10 P5 positions open by December.

They'll end up with some MAC HC, imo.

 

[MeetTheFerentzes]

I hope so. You'd think Iowa is in a much better place than Indiana when it come to football. But the odds of a third consecutive great coach seem less than good. It will be a scary time when KF hangs it up. Our place in the college football world isn't necessarily any better than Illinois or Minnesota.

LOL. Yeah, just take one look at Iowa's facilities, national fan base, NIL program, history of division and conference championships and major bowl games the past 40 years, full stadiums every Saturday and it just screams "Illinois or Minnesota."

 

[Fsanford]

He had the misfortune of coaching in the other division.

 

[hahkize]

I imagine Indiana wanted to get a jump start on hiring a new staff.

They'll end up with some MAC HC, imo.

Iowa State did that and look at them.

 

[MeetTheFerentzes]

Honestly, if I’m AD, I wait till after next season in the new B1G to see what the team can do with a modified schedule that won’t include Michigan, tOSU, PSU, and MSU every season.

Worse case, he gets fired after next season with the $8 million buy out to save $13 million. It's not like they weren’t close to winning games all this season. Close losses at PSU or get that stop when needed to win like the Illini game in OT.

Unless they just wanted to cut bait and not take any chances of success with the new B1G set up with him at the helm. He will be a rich DC for some school next season.

Next year they go to UCLA, NW, MSU, and tOSU, with homes games vs Nebraska, Maryland, Washington, Michigan, and Purdue. Finally miss PSU.

Indiana's conference schedule will overall get easier in the coming years, but next season it will be brutal. Keeping Allen another season would basically be throwing away another year. I commend IU for footing the bill and attempting to start the inevitable rebuild sooner than later.

 

[nu2u]

For the recruiting gurus: any Indiana players or recruits that Iowa would look at if they became available?

 

[MeetTheFerentzes]

Iowa State did that and look at them.

And MC isn't anywhere close to the most elite of the P5 HC's the past 20+ years who started out in the MAC. Probably going to have more misses than gems going the MAC route, but the same could be said about pretty much every other coaching route - plenty of elite assistants have been duds as HC's.

 

[SolarHawk]

I hope so. You'd think Iowa is in a much better place than Indiana when it come to football. But the odds of a third consecutive great coach seem less than good. It will be a scary time when KF hangs it up. Our place in the college football world isn't necessarily any better than Illinois or Minnesota.

Um, Iowa is leaps and bounds ahead of illinois and minnesota. In soooooo many fvcking ways dude.

 

[SolarHawk]

For the recruiting gurus: any Indiana players or recruits that Iowa would look at if they became available?

On the offensive side of the ball definitely.

 

[nu2u]

On the offensive side of the ball definitely.

I was thinkng defense - LB and CB but OL is always worth a look too.

 

[kwik44]

Something has to be done about these buyout contracts, or contracts in general for D1 coaches.

Tom Allen worth 10's of millions of dollars to coach the Indiana Hoosier football team for a few years is beyond ridiculous.

 

[hawkjt]

IU still has a tougher schedule than Iowa next year with OSU, Mich, UCLA and wash...iowas has that group sans Mich.
This is why I think KF stays at least on more year...2025 schedule is brutal.
Allen was annoying but never beat KF.
Indiana has way more HS talent than Iowa but everybody feeds there.