Indiana fires head coach Kevin Wilson
Indiana has dismissed head football coach Kevin Wilson after six seasons with the Hoosiers, the team announced.
Indiana finished the season 6–6 and the decision to part ways regards an off-field issue, according to Terry Hutchens of CNHI Sports Indiana. Associate head coach Tom Allen will become the head coach.
“I appreciate Coach Wilson's many positive contributions to our football program,” vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics Fred Glass said in a statement. “This has nothing to do with the performance of the football team, which I view as quite positive and very much heading in the right direction.”
A former Indiana player told ESPN that at least five former Hoosiers players were interviewed about Wilson's treatment of his players. The former player suffered a concussion in practice before the 2015 season. the player's father said his son was rushed back to workouts and the symptoms went "haywire."
Quarterback Zander Diamont, who announced last week that he will step away from football after the team’s bowl game in part due to concussions, said on Twitter that his injuries were handled properly by Wilson and his staff.
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Cleveland Browns center Gabe Ikard, who played for Wilson at Oklahoma, tweeted Thursday afternoon that Wilson was tough but that he respected the intensity.
Wilson compiled a 26–47 record in his time in Bloomington. He previously served as Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator before taking the Indiana job.
After playing in the 2015 Pinstripe Bowl, Wilson signed a six-year extension in January, which ran through 2021 and was expected to pay him $2.55 million per year.
Allen, who joined the staff in January, takes over.
"Once Coach Wilson and I concluded to part ways, I turned to determining who the best person in the country would be to keep up our momentum and take us to another level with our football team," Glass said. "I quickly concluded that person was in our midst in Tom Allen. He is a leader of men. He is demanding without being demeaning. He is a proven, successful coach on a national scale with deep Indiana ties. He cares about his players, and they care back."
