After a bowl appearance for the first time during his tenure, the Indiana football program made a long-term commitment to head coach Kevin Wilson.
The Hoosiers agreed to a six-year contract extension with Wilson on Monday. This after Indiana finished 6-6 during the regular season and garnered an invite to the 2015 Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium in The Bronx, NY. It was the school’s first bowl since 2007 and just their second over the past 22 seasons.
Wilson’s original contract had him signed for seven years and was set to expire after the 2017 season. After a steady improvement in wins over his first three seasons in charge including a 5-7 campaign in 2013, IU finished 4-8 the following year. Injuries to key players, including quarterback Nate Sudfeld, played a role in the step back but the pressure was on Wilson to get the team to a bowl this year.
Having accomplished this, vice president and athletic director Fred Glass decided to make the move to rework his contract.
Wilson came to Indiana having established himself as one of the top offensive coordinators in the nation while at Oklahoma. Over the course of his time in Bloomington, the Hoosier offense has emerged as one of the most prolific in the nation. That was on full display in 2015 as IU led the Big Ten in total offense, passing offense and points per game.
That proficiency on offense under Wilson has seen a few IU players take their talents to the next level while many more are expected to be drafted this year. Wide receiver Cody Latimer was drafted in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos, while the Atlanta Falcons took running back Tevin Coleman in the third round last year. And players such as Sudfeld as well as left tackle Jason Spriggs are expected to get their names called in 2016.
In total, 16 Hoosiers have either been drafted by NFL teams or signed as undrafted free agents during Wilson’s tenure.
IU’s 2016 season gets underway on Saturday, September 3rd when the Hoosiers travel to Miami, FL to take on Florida International. The home opener at Memorial Stadium gets underway a week later against Ball State.
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