3 strong Tom Allen replacements who can get Indiana back to playing in bowl games
By John Buhler
2. Kane Wommack is a Tom Allen disciple who wins big at South Alabama
If Indiana wants to hire someone with head-coaching experience, look no further than Kane Wommack down at South Alabama. Like Frye, he too has Indiana coaching ties. Wommack most recently served as Allen's linebackers coach and later defensive coordinator prior to taking the job at South from 2018 to 2020. Keep in mind that this was during the peak years under Allen at Indiana.
Since taking over the South Alabama Jaguars program, Wommack has gone 21-16 as a head coach, including an impressive 10-3 campaign a season ago. Although the Jaguars have pretty much been a .500 team in his two other years at the helm, now might be the time for the up-and-coming head coach to go from a great Group of Five league in the Sun Belt to a major job opening up in the Big Ten.
Not to say that he will be able to recapture the magic Indiana briefly experienced during the 2020 COVID season, but Wommack is a rising star in the coaching profession. As soon as Allen was let go at IU, Wommack was the first name I thought of. In truth, I think he could leave South Alabama if the dollars make sense. Conversely, Indiana does have to pay a $20 million buyout for Allen and his staff.
It would not be shocking if Wommack left Mobile for Bloomington, but he will not leave for cheap.