Mike DeBord’s departure from the IU football program was inevitable.
Whether by termination, or by retirement, as was announced Sunday night, DeBord’s time with the Hoosiers had reached the end of the road. This end wasn’t marked by a picturesque suburban cul-de-sac, but rather a desolate landscape.
Offensively, positives were few and far between during the DeBord era at IU, helping contribute to consecutive seasons in which IU went 5-7 overall and 2-7 in conference play.
The Hoosiers weren’t going to be the same high-octane offense under DeBord they were under former head coach Kevin Wilson. But while DeBord was a decent offensive mind during his nearly four decades as a coach, his shortcomings became apparent with IU.
DeBord’s offense was continually and correctly labeled as conservative, favoring check-down passes instead of downfield throws. Explosive plays, which were a staple of Wilson’s offenses, became rare events.
Simply put, the Hoosiers went from being a team which leaned on its offense to win games to a team that relied on its defense for victories.
The offensive downturn came while IU Coach Tom Allen revitalized the Hoosier defense.
This is what frustrated Hoosier fans the most — right as IU’s defense became good enough to regularly make bowl games, the offense became bad enough to prevent the team from doing just that.
Allen has said in the past he wants an offensive coordinator who can be the head coach of the offense, and based on this ideology, change was needed at that position based on recent outcomes.
With that established, the pressure is now on Allen to hire to right person to succeed DeBord.
Allen’s first major decision as IU head coach was to lure DeBord in January 2017 to run IU’s offense. It was a safe, if lackluster, choice. While it wasn’t a complete failure, it certainly didn’t pan out as hoped and didn’t reflect too well on Allen’s ability to put the Hoosiers in the best possible position to win games.
The 2018 season was a testament to this, but Allen has a chance to change this narrative with the offensive coordinator position now open.
IU Athletic Director Fred Glass has publicly reaffirmed his commitment to investing in IU’s football program, but it would still be a surprise if IU was to splash the cash on a big-name offensive coordinator from outside the program.
Pragmatic options exist on the current IU coaching staff. Running backs coach Mike Hart and wide receivers coach Grant Heard are the two most likely options when it comes to an in-house promotion to offensive coordinator.
Hart just completed his second season as running backs coach, but was also named an assistant head coach by Allen in early August. This is already Hart’s fourth stop as a running backs coach, and while at IU, he already has the on-field successes of Morgan Ellison and Stevie Scott to boast, along with the recruitment of star running back Sampson James from Avon High School in Avon, Indiana.
Heard also just wrapped up his second season as IU’s passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach. He’s had a working relationship with Allen for almost 10 years between time together at the University of Mississippi, Arkansas State University and Lambuth University.
IU has already elevated one coach to a bigger job this offseason with the Dec. 27 announcement of linebackers coach Kane Wommack as defensive coordinator. This was an admirable decision by Allen to give himself more time to oversee all aspects of the team, and a move which also increases the likelihood of an internal promotion for either Hart or Heard.
If the Hoosiers want to explore outside options, then Matt Canada would be a deserving candidate. Canada went to IU and was a student assistant for the football program, before spending a couple seasons with the Hoosiers as a graduate assistant in the mid 1990s. He returned to Bloomington from 2004 to 2010, serving as IU’s quarterbacks coach, passing game coordinator and offensive coordinator.
He’s bounced around Power Five conference programs since then, and spent the 2018 season as the interim head coach at Maryland after D.J. Durkin was put on administrative leave and fired. Canada is still listed as Maryland’s offensive coordinator under new head coach Mike Locksley, but Canada could be an option to return to IU and fill the offensive coordinator role.
If IU wants a young, up-and-coming coach who hasn’t yet hit the apex of his coaching trajectory, then a litany of options exist — from University of North Texas offensive coordinator Graham Harrell to Arkansas State offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner.
Whenever and however the decision is made for a new offensive coordinator, as well as someone to take over the associate head coach and tight ends coach responsibilities vacated by DeBord, Allen better be confident and comfortable with the choice.
It will likely determine how long he stays in Bloomington.
@cdrummond97
