There is no question the last two seasons have been some of the greatest football for the Indiana University football program.
There have been back-to-back January bowl games, a team that has found itself inside the Top 10, record setting performances by players, All-American honors for players, trophies have returned to Indiana and there have been wins over the likes of Wisconsin, Michigan and Penn State.
However, as great as things have been the last two years under head coach Tom Allen for the Hoosiers, that hasn't always been the case for the program.
It was not that long ago, Indiana was a place coaches overlooked, as did premier recruits.
And, then along came Allen, a fiery then-defensive coordinator who was hired in 2016 as defensive coordinator from the University of South Florida. The native Hoosier wasted little time making an impact, as he spoke about brotherhood, accountability and changing the culture on the defensive side of football.
His players took notice, as Indiana's defense immediately turned the corner with Allen at the helm.
So did then-athletic director Fred Glass, who would name Allen head coach on Dec. 1, 2016.
At his introductory press conference, Allen touched on the culture change on the defensive side of the ball.
At his first Big Ten Media Day, Allen discussed three numbers -- 50, 26 and 10. It had been 50 years since Indiana had won the Big Ten, 26 years since the Hoosiers won a bowl game and 10 years since Indiana had a winning season.
“I went back and did my homework. I believed we would accomplish all three of these. I told our players we were going to accomplish all that, and told the staff the same. I told them if nobody believed it, they could leave. I think people thought the 26 and 10 were possible, but I didn’t listen to the negativity. I refused to let other people define what we can accomplish here,” Allen said.
Since that time, Allen has changed the culture at Indiana and players and wins have followed.
And, it is a culture that is recognized across the country as one where a head coach lays a vision, the team has fun and they are successful.
Suddenly, Indiana has become a destination for coaches, and, according to Allen's last two hires, the culture change has been seen in both the NFL and SEC.
