After nearly three weeks of searching, the IU football program has found its new offensive coordinator.
Kalen DeBoer, most recently the offensive coordinator at California State University, Fresno, will become the new offensive coordinator for IU, a source within the program confirmed to the Indiana Daily Student on Friday.
IU Athletics officially announced DeBoer's signing as the offensive coordinator and associate head coach Monday morning.
The Hoosiers have been looking for a new offensive coordinator since the end of 2018, when former associate head coach, offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Mike DeBord announced his retirement.
During the search, IU Head Coach Tom Allen said he was looking for someone with previous experience as an offensive coordinator to join the IU program, and DeBoer fits that qualification.
DeBoer spent two seasons in the Mountain West Conference with Fresno State, his second stop as an offensive coordinator in the Football Bowl Subdivision. From 2014 to 2016, DeBoer was the offensive coordinator at Eastern Michigan University in the Mid-American Conference.
His time coaching college football also includes nearly a decade at his alma mater, the University of Sioux Falls, a former National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics school in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, from 2000 to 2009. During this time, DeBoer was the offensive coordinator, before becoming the team’s head coach.
From 2010 to 2013, DeBoer was also the offensive coordinator at Southern Illinois University.
The 44-year-old has an important coaching connection tying him to Allen in the form of Eastern Michigan Head Coach Chris Creighton. Allen worked under Creighton when he was head coach at both Wabash College and Drake University.
DeBoer’s most recent offense at Fresno State ranked third in the Mountain West in total offense, averaging 422 yards per game, and in scoring with 34.6 points per contest. While with Eastern Michigan, DeBoer’s offense set numerous school records, including total yards with nearly 6,000 and points scored with 385, both during the 2016 season.
His time as a head coach also brought significant success, as he went 67-3 in charge of Sioux Falls, winning three NAIA national championships.
Ben Portnoy contributed reporting to this story.
This story has been updated.
