Who are some candidates to replace Indiana football coach Tom Allen?

BLOOMINGTON — Indiana fired football coach Tom Allen on Sunday, a source with knowledge of the situation told The Herald Times.

The Hoosiers finished 3-9 this season, and 1-8 in the Big Ten, after losing their final three regular-season games by 10 points combined.

Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson will be tasked with finding a replacement for Allen.

He negotiated the extension Allen signed in March 2021, but this will be the first time he’s hired a football coach and the program's first national search in more than a decade.

Allen was IU’s defensive coordinator when he was promoted to coach on the same day Kevin Wilson resigned.

Indiana is currently the only team in the Big Ten with a head coach vacancy. Northwestern promoted David Braun to permanent head coach and Michigan State hired Oregon State’s Jonathan Smith on Saturday.

Here’s a look a some potential candidates that might make sense for Dolson to consider, listed in alphabetical order:

Related: On the 'bitter end' of IU coach Tom Allen's tenure

Jason Candle, Toledo coach

The 44-year-old coach has been a name thrown around for plenty of openings in recent years, given the success he’s at Toledo. Candle, who has a 65-33 record, is about to lead the program to a sixth bowl game in eight years without having a losing season. The Rockets are 11-1 this season; its only loss is to Illinois. He’s got ties to the Midwest — he’s from Salem, Ohio — and is an offensive-minded coach, both plusses for Indiana, but it would be a big jump for a coach that has no experience at the Power Five level.

Curt Cignetti, James Madison coach

What Cignetti has done at James Madison is pretty remarkable. After turning the team into a perennial FCS title contender — it made a seven-game improvement in his first year — the school has gone 18-4 while transitioning to the FBS over the last two seasons. He’s another offensive-minded coach who, at one time, was the quarterbacks coach for Phillip Rivers at NC State. He was also part of Nick Saban’s first staff at Alabama.

Jake Dickert, Washington State coach

In the wake of the Pac-12's collapse, Dickert would likely consider overtures from other Power Five programs. Dickert had WSU in bowl contention each of his three seasons with the school while facing a similar uphill battle as the one he’d inherit at Indiana. While the 40-year-old has spent much of his coaching career outside the Midwest, he’s a Wisconsin native.

Justin Frye, Ohio State associate head coach/offensive line coach

Frye is a Hoosier legacy who played offensive line for the program from 2002-06 after growing up in Ellwood. He got his start in the coaching ranks as a graduate assistant in Bloomington. While he doesn’t have head coaching experience, he’s been an assistant for much of his career in the Power Five. He’s done well since taking over as Ohio State’s offensive line coach in 2022. He would bring a good knowledge base for where Indiana needs to dedicate resources (particularly in recruiting) to compete with the top tier Big Ten programs.

Related: How much is Tom Allen's buyout?

Ryan Grubb, Washington offensive coordinator

Former Indiana offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer ain’t leaving Washington, but what about landing the guy currently calling plays for him? Grubb would command top dollar — he’s one of the country’s highest-paid assistants — but landing a top offensive-minded coach would be worth the expense. He would bring an impressive bag of tricks to Bloomington that he could put to good use if Donoven McCulley and Jaylin Lucas stick around.

Charles Huff, Marshall coach

Huff's reputation as a top recruiter should be enough to grab Indiana's attention. The program needs a modernized operation and boost of energy that Huff would bring. The 40-year-old also has head coaching experience – he's 22-16 in three seasons at Marshall with three bowl games – and spent time as an assistant in the Big Ten (Maryland and Penn State), SEC (Vanderbilt, Ole Miss and Alabama) and the NFL (Buffalo Bills). He wouldn't need a ton of time to get things going in Bloomington.

Chuck Martin, Miami of Ohio coach

A Midwest guy (he grew up in the suburbs of Chicago) with 16 years of coaching experience, including 10 years at Miami of Ohio. He's taken the RedHawks to three straight bowl games and they will play in the MAC Championship game on Saturday. While much of his background is in defense, he spent two years as Notre Dame's offensive coordinator (2012-13). That's an intriguing mix of experience and gives him great perspective on breaking down a roster.

Antwaan Randle El, Detroit Lions receivers coach

Randle El is currently in his third season as the Detroit Lions receivers coach. He might not be interested in moving down to the collegiate level and the timing isn’t great with the Lions sitting atop the NFC North, but it’s a call you have to make if you are Dolson. Randle El is one of the few alums in prominent coaching positions, he’s young (44 years old) and has a resume (he won a Super Bowl and was former Big Ten Player of the Year) that would strike a chord with players. If nothing else, his input on the search would be worth getting.

Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: 8 candidates who make sense for Indiana football's coaching vacancy