For Indiana head football coach Tom Allen, it is always about a fit.
Finding a fit that can take his vision for Indiana football, while molding young men and producing quality football players and men is what Allen was looking for in his next defensive coordinator.
By his own admission, he found that in former University of Georgia defensive backs coach Charlton Warren, who he hired as defensive coordinator. Warren replaces Kane Wommack, who was named the head coach at the University of South Alabama at the end of 2020.
“Really excited about Charlton Warren joining our staff as defensive coordinator. Very critical position to our program. To bring in Charlton from the University of Georgia, lot of respect to where he has been, the man that he is and it is always about fit. Fit to me is guys who are aligned philosophically in how you build a program, and found those values in Charlton,” Allen said.
While Allen has never worked with Warren, who was at Florida, Tennessee and Georgia in recent years, he notes he took his time and did his homework speaking to various sources about Warren.
"I feel very confident in the research and work we put into this. He has an ability to command and lead and capture players and coaches on that side of the football. He has been around some of the best defensive minds in this country. We have a system here we believe in and run that I brought here many years ago and we continue to mold and modify. Excited for our players to get to know him,” Allen said of Warren.
Allen noted he also talked with several coaches at the University of Georgia to get their feel on Warren.
“They know what kind of an environment we have built here and my coaching philosophy. They know that and they have been with him. That was big to me. Also guys that I trust that I know and know me and know what I am about. When you hire someone you haven’t worked with, you bring people in sit down with them, talk things through and confirm things you were told,” he said.
However, the biggest source Allen leaned on was former North Carolina defensive coordinator and Auburn coach Gene Chizik.
“He was the biggest influence, went through a very extensive hiring process to hire his staff at UNC and he had some strong thoughts about Charlton and it got my attention. I started that process to go deeper,” Allen said.
Allen told the media Wednesday he put out a broad net to find a defensive coordinator, but made it clear he would not change or move away from the 4-2-5 scheme he brought to Indiana in 2016.
“I was not looking for someone to bring their defense to Indiana and install it. It’s football, but at the same time, it is a system we have in place. To have someone to understand that, embrace that and is excited about that. When you have a defense here that has played as well as we have, that to me was a big deal to find a guy who understood that and embraced that. Talked to guys from NFL to college level, but took my time with this to be able to do a great job of finding the right fit. The timing to me, I didn’t want to be rushed and wanted to be thorough. It matters to me, and over the course of learning how to hire people, look where guys have been and who they have been around to bring new ideas,” Allen said.
While Allen will not be changing the scheme, he does admit bringing in Warren and a new set of eyes will help.
“I love the idea of having a new set of eyes. We have a great staff defensively of coaches and they do a great job, but when you bring someone in, you can ask them what do they think about this and you have a whole different perspective when you come from the outside. He has SEC eyes and brings a perspective about recruiting and what you do schematically. He has been trained in the Coach (Nick) Saban system. We have already said we are going to add a few things that they did. Bottom line is it will make us better.
As has been the case since he became head coach, Allen will continue to be involved in the defensive game plan and admits he will continue to sit in on linebacker position meetings.
“I am in every single linebacker position meeting, and it is the area I focus on the most and the position I coached the most in my past. Definitely more involved in the beginning, without question. I want to be, he wants me to be and we are excited about that," Allen said. "I will be involved the way I always am.
"Right now, we are going through the process of teaching him what we do and how we call things. I will definitely be hands on, but that is how I am on the defensive side of the football."
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