Coaching Indiana football isn't nearly as attractive as leading their men's basketball program considering how much the state eat, sleeps, and breathes hoops, but Kevin Wilson did enough in his first five seasons to earn a new contract and raise.
Indiana signed Wilson to a new six-year contract worth $15.3 million hours before Clemson and Alabama met in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game in January. Wilson led the Hoosiers to the New Era Pinstripe Bowl in 2015, the program's first postseason appearance since 2007 and only its second in 22 years.
Wilson is a less than modest 20-41 overall and 8-24 in Big Ten play during his five seasons in Bloomington but has the program on the cusp of taking the next step. The Hoosiers nearly nipped Ohio State in 2015, falling 31-24 at Memorial Stadium when Zander Diamont's throw the end zone fell incomplete as time expired.
Indiana comes to Columbus for Ohio State's second Big Ten home game in as many weeks Oct. 8. Let's get to know the Hoosiers.
Offense
As has been the case throughout his career, Wilson's team butters its bread with its offense. Indiana averaged 504.3 yards per game in 2015, 14th-best in the country. The Hoosiers scored at least 30 points in nine of 13 games but lost six straight conference contests because stopping anybody with any sort of consistency was an afterthought.
Wilson's biggest hurdle is replacing quarterback Nate Sudfield, who graduated as the program's all-time leader in passing yards, touchdowns and career 300-yard passing games. An injury knocked him out in the game against Ohio State last year, but Zander Diamont's legs were nearly enough to pull off the upset.
| Head Coach | Kevin Wilson (6th season, 20-41 career record) |
| 2015 Record | 6-7, 2-6 (Finished fifth in the B1G East) |
| 2015 Postseason | Lost to Duke 44-41 in New Era Pinstripe Bowl |
| Biggest Losses | QB Nate Sudfield, OT Jason Spriggs, RB Jordan Howard |
| Biggest Returnees | OL Dan Feeney, RB Devine Redding, LB Marcus Oliver |
| Summary | Kevin Wilson wins with offense. Can a staff change help his defense? |
| Matchup | Oct. 8, 2016: Indiana at Ohio State, kickoff TBA. |
Diamont is in a battle with Danny Cameron, Austin King, Donnie Hale, and junior college transfer Richard Lagow to start. The latter played well in the spring game, while an ankle injury kept Diamont out.
Regardless who starts at quarterback, Wilson will depend on running backs Devine Redding and transfer Camion Patrick to shoulder the load following Jordan Howard's exit to the NFL. The Hoosiers have a few proven pass catchers as well, with leading receivers Simmie Cobbs (1,035 yards, four touchdowns in 2015) and Ricky Jones (906 yards, five scores) back in the fold.
There are plenty of weapons to work with if you're Wilson and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Kevin Johns. Though four-year starter and 2015 All-American tackle Jason Spriggs now resides in Green Bay as a member of the Packers, Indiana's offensive line should be fine with four senior contributors in place. The group is led by Dan Feeney, another All-American who elected to return for his senior season.
The program took a step forward in making a bowl in 2015, but Wilson must deliver a bowl victory to make athletic director Fred Glass' decision to pay him look wise. Wilson made a change on hits defensive staff in the hope to better that unit's performance, but make no mistake: The Hoosiers will win games because of their offense in 2016.
Defense
Wilson hired Tom Allen away from South Florida a few days after signing his new contract as a replacement for Brian Knorr, who was not retained.
Allen has his work cut out for him: Indiana finished dead last in the Big Ten in points, yards and passing yards per game allowed in 2015. The team's rush defense ranked 13th out of 14 teams. Allen is Wilson's fifth defensive coordinator in what will be his sixth season.
Indiana looks to establish Allen's 4-2-5 defensive alignment this fall, but will need speed on the back end to make it possible. Indiana was extremely young last year in the secondary, so Allen must provide them with some confidence and more structure as to not give up as many big plays.
Leading tackler and junior linebacker Marcus Oliver returns to lead the unit, one that picked off 12 passes in 2015. Jonathan Crawford, Chase Dutra, Rashard Fant, and Andre Brown Jr. will all be in the mix to play a lot of snaps in the secondary, but can Allen put them in positions to be successful?
The defensive line is undergoing an overhaul as well, with 2015 sacks leader Nick Mangieri graduating and Darius Latham electing to turn pro. Ezekiel Elliott ran for 274 yards and three touchdowns against Indiana last year, as the Buckeye offensive line mostly had its way. The Hoosiers must be better in that area to give their team a chance to win more games in 2016.
South Florida finished 8-5 in 2015 and Allen's defense allowed only 19.5 points per game. He has ties to Indiana, earning a master's degree there in 2002. How well he can turn things around in a unit that played out of position often in recent years will determine just how far the Hoosiers go in 2016.
Kevin Wilson is a brilliant offensive mind. He hopes the hire of Tom Allen to lead his defense will take Indiana to new heights in 2016.
The Hoosiers are slowly building a reputable program under Wilson. The next step is recording a winning season and tallying a bowl win, both of which narrowly evaded them in 2015.
Indiana is in a brutal division, having to play Ohio State, Michigan State, and Michigan every season. Still, the Buckeyes and Wolverines both barely escaped Bloomington last year with victories, so Wilson is close to striking lightning.
Whether or not it happens against Ohio State and Urban Meyer in Columbus this season remains to be seen, but the Hoosiers appear to be on the right path to respectability. However, they must start winning some noteworthy conference games to get there.
