<P> Thomas Allen (born March 14, 1970) is an American college football coach serving as the head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers football team . Allen previously served as the defensive coordinator at Indiana and South Florida . He spent time as an assistant at Ole Miss, Arkansas State and Drake, among other programs . A native of New Castle, Indiana, Allen also spent six seasons as defensive coordinator and three seasons as the head football coach at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis . </P> <P> Allen spent three seasons as the linebackers coach and special teams coordinator at Ole Miss under head coach Hugh Freeze . During his time in Oxford, the Rebels went 24--15 and consistently ranked near the top of the FBS in terms of tackles for loss and sacks . Prior to his arrival, Ole Miss had ranked last in the SEC in total defense . </P> <P> In December 2014, Allen was named defensive coordinator at South Florida under third - year head coach Willie Taggart . In his lone season in Tampa, Allen's defensive unit ranked first the American Athletic Conference (AAC) in scoring defense at just 19.6 points per conference game . </P> <P> Allen was hired on January 15, 2016 to serve as defensive coordinator on head coach Kevin Wilson's staff at Indiana . In replacing previous defensive coordinator Brian Knorr, Allen took over a defense that ranked #120 in the FBS in total defense and #106 in opponent points scored . As of December 1, 2016, the Hoosiers' defense ranks #35 in the FBS in total defense (8th best in the Big Ten) and #53 in opponent points scored . </P>

Where did the indiana football coach come from