Kane Wommack named defensive coordinator

Just over a month after the end of the season, IU has made a change to its football coaching staff. No, it wasn’t that change.

On Wednesday head coach Tom Allen announced that linebackers coach Kane Wommack will take over as the team’s defensive coordinator for the 2019 season. Allen had been in that role for the Hoosiers since arriving in Bloomington in 2016 but will hand over the reins moving forward.

”I am thrilled for the opportunity to lead our defense alongside Mark Hagen, Brandon Shelby, and Kasey Teegardin,” Wommack said. “Collectively our defense will function as a highly-efficient unit, emboldened to take on the challenges of the Big Ten. Our players are fierce and disciplined competitors, and I am honored and extremely psyched to be their defensive coordinator.”

Wommack has been Indiana’s linebackers coach since the beginning of the Allen era. Previously he was the youngest defensive coordinator in FBS at South Alabama during the 2016 season. Under Wommack, the Jaguars finished in the top five in the Sun Belt Conference in pass defense, pass efficiency defense, tackles for loss and third-down conversion percentage against. Before that, he ran the defense at Eastern Illinois. The Panthers made the FCS playoffs and received a top 25 national ranking during his time there. He also served as a graduate assistant at Ole Miss, working with Allen, who was the linebackers coach, and his father Dave Wommack who was the defensive coordinator for the Rebels. He worked with the husky position, one of the keys of the 4-2-5 defense that Ole Miss ran then and IU runs now.

”Without question, Kane Wommack is ready for this opportunity,” Allen said. “I have tremendous confidence in him and his understanding of our entire defense, from the front to the back. I will still be heavily involved, but Kane will take over the play-calling responsibilities, the organization of our defensive staff and all that we do on that side of the ball.”