Indiana is in the market for a new offensive coordinator.
The program on Sunday night announced associate head coach Mike DeBord, who also coaches IU's tight ends, will retire. A source tells TheHoosier.com a national search will be conducted for his replacement.
"Coach (Lloyd) Carr told me many years ago I would know when it was time to retire," DeBord said in a statement. "I didn't understand it at the time, but I do now. I am really looking forward to spending more time with my family and my grandkids."
A veteran of 16 bowl games, DeBord served as head coach at Central Michigan University (2000-03), and offensive coordinator at the University of Michigan (1997-99, 2006-07) and the University of Tennessee (2015-16) prior to joining the IU staff in January 2017. He also was an assistant coach in the NFL with the Chicago Bears (2010-12) and the Seattle Seahawks (2008-09). Five quarterbacks he tutored during his time as a coordinator - Tom Brady (Michigan), Joshua Dobbs (Tennessee), Brian Griese (Michigan), Chad Henne (Michigan) and Drew Henson (Michigan) - reached the NFL. Overall, DeBord coached 53 players who moved on to the NFL, including former Hoosier and current Carolina Panthers tight end Ian Thomas.
"These last two years have been unbelievable," DeBord said. "Tom is building this thing the right way, so it will last over a long period of time. That's the only thing I am going to miss, because it is definitely going to happen. There's a great culture at IU and I've had a lot of fun. I love Tom, I love the program he is putting together, and I was so glad to be a small part of the first couple years in what will be a long and successful career for Tom Allen."
"I want to congratulate Mike DeBord on an amazing coaching career," IU head coach Tom Allen said. "I have been fortunate to know him for many years and have the utmost respect for him, firstly as a man and secondly as a coach. You won't find a more loyal, more hard-working or better individual with a bigger heart for people. It was a privilege to work alongside him the last two seasons and I wish him nothing but the very best in his retirement."
Over DeBord's two seasons in charge, the unit finished in the top half of the Big Ten in total offense, ranking sixth with 395.8 yards per contest in 2017 and seventh with 415.2 in 2018. Indiana's passing offense also ranked third in the conference in each of the last two seasons. Overall, the group ranked fifth (2017) and fourth (2018) in third-down conversions at 37.9 and 42.4 percent.
Although the Hoosiers fared well in those categories, they did regress in a key one: redzone offense. Indiana scored on 86.4 percent of its redzone chances in 2017, good for sixth in the conference. This season, it scored on just 81.8 percent - fourth lowest in the Big Ten - while also scoring two fewer redzone touchdowns with 25.
IU's overall scoring took a slight dip as well. After averaging 26.8 points per game in 2017, sixth-highest in the Big Ten, it averaged 26.4 in 2018, fifth-lowest in the Big Ten.
Prior to joining Indiana, DeBord guided one of the most profilic offenses in the SEC, helping the 2016 Tennessee Volunteers become of four teams to end the year in the top half of the conference in scoring, passing, rushing and total offense. Tennessee ranked 24th nationally (second in the SEC) with 36.4 points per game and 35th in red zone offense (87.8 percent).
DeBord's replacement will have a bevy of experience to work with in 2019 as the Hoosiers look to regain their form that more closely resembles the 2017 campaign. Indiana will return three of its top four wide receivers, its leading passer, leading rusher, its top tight end and three of its five starters along the offensive line.
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