After losing defensive coordinator Manny Diaz Duke as the Blue Devils new head coach, James Franklin is reportedly targeting a former Big Ten head coach to fill the vacancy.
Former Indiana head coach Tom Allen is the top candidate for the job, multiple reports share today.
Pete Thamel adds a deal is being finalized and is expected to come together in the next few days.
Allen led the Hoosiers to a 33-49 record from 2017-2023.
He put together back-to-back impressive seasons in 2019 and 2020, finishing 8-5 and then 6-2, taking the program to back-to-back bowl games.
However, the years that followed saw dips to 2-10, 4-8 and 3-9 before he was dismissed at the end of the 2023 season.
Allen is a former Indiana high school coach at storied Ben Davis high school, and he's gone on to coordinate defenses at Lambuth, Drake and South Florida. He's also spent time in major college football as an assistant at Arkansas State and Ole Miss, where he coordinated the Rebels special teams unit from 2012-14.
He took over the Hoosiers defense in 2016, and was elevated to interim head coach for their Foster Farms bowl game before shedding the interim title and leading the Hoosiers for the next seven seasons.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.