Anthony Tucker Named Indiana Football Co-Offensive Coordinator, Wide Receivers Coach

Anthony Tucker will join Indiana football for the 2023 season as co-offensive coordinator and and wide receivers coach, Tom Allen announced on Monday. Tucker spent the last two seasons as the offensive coordinator at Utah State and has previous coaching stints at Central Florida, Maryland, Arkansas State, Idaho State and Colorado.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana football named Anthony Tucker co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach on Monday morning.

“We are very excited to welcome Anthony to our football family,” Indiana coach Tom Allen said. “He brings tremendous knowledge and expertise to our staff and the wide receivers room. Anthony has been a part of highly productive and successful offenses over the last several years, and we look forward to that continuing with us.”

Tucker spent the last two seasons as the offensive coordinator at Utah State and has previous coaching stints at Central Florida, Maryland, Arkansas State, Idaho State and Colorado.

“I’m grateful for this opportunity to join Coach Allen and his staff,” Tucker said. “I’m equally excited to be here in Bloomington, representing and working for a great and respected university like IU.”

At Utah State, Tucker helped head coach Blake Anderson go 17-10 across the 2021 and 2022 seasons, setting multiple school records. 

Utah State tied a program record with 11 wins in 2021, en route to winning its first Mountain West Championship. The Aggies defeated Oregon State in the Jimmy Kimmel Los Angeles Bowl and finished No. 24 the AP top-25 poll.

With Tucker as offensive coordinator, Utah State set eight school marks, including 41 touchdown passes and 4,248 passing yards. They were also the only team in the country with three receivers scoring 10-plus touchdown receptions. Utah State ranked 15th nationally in passing offense (303.4), 23rd in total offense (445.6), and 33rd in scoring offense (32.6) in 2021.

Utah State wide receiver Deven Thompkins became a third-team All-American and a Biletnikoff Award semifinalist in 2021. He ranked second in the nation in receiving yards and set three school records, with 102 receptions for 1,704 yards and five games with at least 170 yards. Quarterback Logan Bonner broke five school records, including 3,618 passing yards and 36 touchdowns.

Prior to Utah State, Tucker spent three seasons at UCF, where the Knights posted a 28-8 overall record, a 19-5 conference mark and appeared in three bowl games. With Tucker as running backs coach in 2018, UCF went 12-1, made a trip to the Fiesta Bowl and finished No. 11 in the nation. The Knights set a program-records with 3,448 rushing yards 43 rushing touchdowns in 2018.

Tucker was promoted to passing game coordinator in 2019 and co-offensive coordinator in 2020. UCF went 10-3 in 2019 and finished second in the country in total offense (540.5) and fifth in scoring (43.4). In 2021, UCF ranked second in total offense (568.1), third in passing (357.4) and ninth in scoring (42.2).

Before UCF, Tucker worked with current Indiana offensive coordinator Walt Bell at Maryland and Arkansas State. Tucker coached Maryland running backs from 2016-17, eclipsing 2,500 rushing yards for the school's first time since 2003. He also coached running backs and receivers at Arkansas State from 2013-15, winning two Sun Belt Conference titles and appearing in three bowl games.

Tucker has previous experience at Idaho State from 2010-11 as wide receivers coach, and he joined the collegiate ranks as an offensive technical assistant at Colorado in 2010. 

During his playing career, Tucker was a two-year starter at Fresno State University. He signed a free agent contract with the New York Giants in 1999 and was on the practice squad in 2000. He also played for NFL Europe’s Amsterdam Admirals in 2001 and signed with the St. Louis Rams in 2002 before suffering a career-ending injury.

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