Former Tennessee offensive coordinator Mike DeBord is set to take the same position at Indiana, according to a report by Rivals.com. A formal announcement on the move isn’t expected until Wednesday.
Tennessee OC Mike DeBord has left Vols to become new OC at Indiana, source told @ESPN. 1st reported by Rivals
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) January 3, 2017
Indiana Hoosiers to Name Mike DeBord Offensive Coordinator
DeBord replaces Kevin Johns, who new IU head coach Tom Allen let go on Monday. The 60-year-old spent two seasons in Knoxville with Butch Jones who was an assistant under DeBord when he was head coach at Central Michigan from 2000-03.
Tennessee’s offense regularly put up points with DeBord at the helm. The Volunteers ranked no worse than third in the SEC in scoring offense during his two seasons as offensive coordinator. Last year, only Alabama averaged more points per game among teams in the conference.
Former Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich is rumored to be a front-runner to take over DeBord’s role at Tennessee.
DeBord has ties to both the state of Indiana and the Big Ten. He’s originally from Muncie, IN and served as an assistant at both Northwestern and Michigan. In 1997, his first year as Wolverines offensive coordinator, The Sporting News named him National Assistant Coach of the Year.
The Hoosiers are coming off consecutive bowl appearances for the first time in over two decades. But neither of the two games resulted in victories. IU fell in overtime to Duke in the 2015 Pinstripe Bowl by a score of 44-41. And in last year’s Foster Farms Bowl December 28th, the narrowly lost once again to Utah, 26-24.
Their last bowl win came against Baylor in the 1991 Copper Bowl, a 24-0 victory.
DeBord will be tasked with improving an Indiana offense that was significantly mistake prone in 2016. The Hoosiers finished with a total of 29 turnovers lost which was 123rd in FBS. Quarterback Richard Lagow threw 17 interceptions which was tied for the second highest total among players at the position who had a minimum of 3,000 yards passing.
Indiana opens the 2017 season at home against fellow Big Ten foe Ohio State. The game received some additional intrigue when it was revealed that Kevin Wilson is close to being named the Buckeyes next offensive coordinator on Tuesday. Kickoff is set for Thursday, August 31st.
