Indiana's Commitment to Football Evident with Tom Allen Contract
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Tom Allen's newest contract with Indiana means more to him than just the money.
The new deal, which features a $1 million raise through 2027, shows that Indiana University and its athletic department isn't just committed to him, but they are committed to the growth of the football program as a whole.
Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson told Don Fischer on Monday that, "He wants to be here. We want him here for a long time, which is really, really meaningful. Obviously, he's the catalyst. He's the driver. I always say to him, 'We wanna invest in football, but it really starts and ends with you, and we'll go from there.' It was a really big day for us."
Indiana's success on the field the last two seasons have created a ton of momentum and attention on the program. Allen's staff has seen two coordinators become head coaches in as many years, and especially after the 2020 season, Allen's name started to be rumored around as a hot coaching commodity that could leave Bloomington and take a bigger job elsewhere.
But that's not the goal for Allen. His goal is to turn the Indiana Hoosiers into a football force, and that foundation started when he became the defensive coordinator in 2016, and it grew even stronger when he became head coach in 2017.
Ever since then, Indiana has continued to get better, and it's without a doubt that the Hoosiers will be a ranked team heading into the fall. That's why, as Dolson put it, it was so important to restructure Allen's contract.
"I am very thankful and appreciative of Scott Dolson," Allen said Monday. "I appreciate his commitment to our football program."
Not to mention an important piece of Allen's contract, which states that he will continue to have a year added to the back end of his deal each season the program qualifies for a postseason bowl game.
So the more Indiana wins and continues to grow, the more years Allen will get to be at the helm.
"You think about when you talk to recruits and their families, they want to know if you are going to be coaching their son when he is a sophomore, junior and a senior," Allen said. "That is a big deal. Things like this send a strong message that direction. The commitment of the university, and the commitment of myself and our family being here. So, that means a lot to me."
Spring practice for the team begins on March 9, and the Hoosiers are returning a bulk of their roster from last season, including a couple of key players who were on the shelf last season due to injury.
Sprinkle in three experienced transfers and a talented recruiting class, along with two big-time offseason additions to the coaching staff, and things are looking bright in Bloomington.
As Allen made clear on Monday, this wasn't something that happened overnight. This has been a long process driven by grit, determination and Allen's trademark: Love.
Monday's contract agreement between Allen and Indiana was just another important step in accomplishing the awfully lofty goals this program has set out for itself.
"I want to continue to build off the foundation that we have laid here at Indiana. I want to allow this to be what I envisioned it to be when I first got here," Allen said. "To be able to compete at the highest level in this conference and across the country. To be able to have that, this is kind of the next step for us as a program as we move forward. Our university has chosen to invest into our coaching staff, and everybody that is part of this program. This is a very big step for us, and we are excited about what the future holds."
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- PENIX ON ROAD TO RECOVERY: Michael Penix Jr. provided an update on his recovery process. CLICK HERE
- INDIANA FOOTBALL BECOMING DESIRED DESTINATION: Tom Allen has turned Indiana football into a place coaches and players want to be. CLICK HERE
