How Matt Guerrieri Wants to Build on the Indiana Defense Tom Allen has Built

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Tom Allen is a defensive coach by trade.

That was the first thing the Indiana football coach said at 2023 Big Ten Media Days in July when asked not about his defense but about his quarterbacks. Allen obviously has some influence over the offense, but he's far more comfortable drawing up the X's and O's for a defense.

That's why he took over defensive play calling duties in 2022, and on the surface it was a perfectly reasonable plan. Allen was originally hired in 2016 by former coach Kevin Wilson to call the defense for Indiana, and the solid IU defenses in 2019 and 2020 were molded by Allen's defensive system and recruiting acumen. Then-defensive play caller Kane Wommack also played a big part in that success before being hired as the head coach at South Alabama.

But Indiana's defense was pretty bad in 2022, and one of Allen's solutions was to hire Matt Guerrieri as a coordinator, a safeties position coach and, most importantly, a defensive play caller.

"I chose to call it a year ago because I felt that was best for our program at that time," Allen said Wednesday in Indianapolis at Media Days. "But I've not called it obviously [in the past] with all the different things that are going on, and with the portal and the NIL and just the complexities you now deal with ...in order for us to get better and move forward, I wanted to bring somebody in to be able to call that."

Guerrieri spent 10 seasons as an assistant coach at Duke from 2012-21, and he served as the co-defensive coordinator during his final four seasons with the Blue Devils. In 2022, he worked at Ohio State for coach Ryan Day as a senior advisor and analyst.

Allen hired him away from the Big Ten East powerhouse not because Indiana needed a dramatic shift in the way it approaches defense, but because calling plays for the defense limited his ability to oversee the entire program.

"But I feel like it's important for me to become the best head coach I can be," Allen said at Media Days. "The best game-day manager of the entire game, both sides of the football and special teams, for me not to be focused on calling the defense."

When Guerrieri spoke with the media on Wednesday, he reiterated Allen's points. He spoke of his role in calling the defense as adding to what has been in the past under Allen, rather than making a 180 degree shift.

"Coach Allen has a system. There's fundamentals of how we play defense, how we stop the run, how we pressure the quarterback and how we stop the throw game," Guerrieri said. "The tweaks are week-to-week in a game plan. What does the opponent do best, and how do we limit that? And what do we do best?"

"It starts with the system. The tweaks are week-to-week in a game plan. What does the opponent do best, and how do we limit that? And what do we do best?

New Indiana Defensive Coordinator Matt Guerreri on taking over defensive play calling duties from Coach Tom Allen. #iufb pic.twitter.com/JVXcTIb94x
— Dan Olinger (@dan_olinger) August 16, 2023

Having a new voice in charge of the defensive side of the ball is fitting for the 2023 Hoosiers. The roster is filled with new faces on both sides of the ball, but particularly on defense, where Allen and Co. hit the transfer portal hard.

Indiana brought in 17 defensive transfers during the 2023 offseason, many of whom are expected to start and/or contribute. Guerrieri is new to Bloomington just like they are, and he is working in fall camp to bring the diverse, well-traveled group together as one cohesive unit.

His role as an analyst rather than as a play caller or coach at Ohio State in 2022 might seem like a step back, but Guerrieri said the experience will make him a better play caller. While he was not entrenched in the stressful, everyday minutiae that play callers and coaches deal with, he observed the OSU defense from a calmer perspective and got a better understanding of what he wants from his own defenses.

"Sometimes when you're in the fire, you don't see the bigger picture," Guerrieri said, describing his role as a defensive analyst. "It gives you a chance to reassess, and then apply going forward."

Reassess and apply going forward is a good way to look at everything Allen did as Indiana's head coach this offseason.

After Indiana finished a combined 6-18 over the past two seasons, it was clear big changes were needed.

Out went several position coaches and players (either via graduation or transfer portal). In came college football veterans from other schools and new coaches such as Guerrieri. They don't intend to tear down what Allen was previously able to build in Bloomington just a few seasons ago. They aim to revamp it and deliver a new and improved product.

Guerrieri gets his first chance to show Hoosier nation how he's upgraded the Indiana defense when his old friends at Ohio State come to Bloomington on Sept. 2 for the 2023 season opener.

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