Report: Kalen DeBoer to leave IU

Update: the hire has been officially announced by Fresno State

On Tuesday it was reported that after one season as IU’s offensive coordinator, Kalen DeBoer will leave his post to take over as the head coach at Fresno State.

DeBoer came to IU from Fresno State, where he served as the Bulldogs’ offensive coordinator for two seasons. Following now-former head coach Jeff Tedford’s resignation earlier this month after three years at the helm, it was rumored that DeBoer would be a candidate and ultimately was the one to take the job.

The loss is a significant one for the Hoosiers. Following years of playing DeBord ball on offense, DeBoer came in and not only made the IU offense fun to watch again, he made it actually productive.

In terms of scoring, IU went from averaging 26.42 points per game to 32.58 points per game with the change. There was also an increase in total yardage of roughly 400 yards under DeBoer.

Another clear difference has been in the play of quarterback Peyton Ramsey. For his first two years of getting regular playing time it seemed like Ramsey was a bit of a dud, not much more than a game manager with an inability to create the explosive plays that really make an offense dangerous. That all changed under DeBoer. Ramsey’s numbers went up more or less across the board and the perception of him has done a complete 180.

Whoever Tom Allen hires next will have big shoes to fill and, just like after DeBord was let go, the process that leads to IU filling this position will be a significant point in the Allen era. Right now the IU head coach is one-for-two in hiring offensive coordinators. He’ll need to make it two-for-three if he wants to sustain the success that the Hoosiers found this Fall.