Following up on reports from earlier this afternoon, Indiana has made it official and are now in full search mode for their next head coach.
By way of a press release, the Hoosiers have announced that Bill Lynch “will be replaced as the head coach of the Indiana University football team.”
Per the release, athletic director Fred Glass noted that it was his sincere and oft-stated desire for Coach Lynch to coach the football Hoosiers through the full four years of his contract and beyond. Still, after evaluating the state of the program and his options with Coach Lynch entering the last year of his contract --- to either extend Coach Lynch’s contract, have him coach the final year of his contract without committing to an extension (or non-extension), or making a coaching change now -- Glass concluded that he needed to make the change.
“Bill Lynch is often described as a ‘nice guy’ and he absolutely is, but it is important to recognize he is much more than that,” Glass observed. “People should know that Bill is also smart, talented, passionate, perceptive, committed to his players, a great teacher, and a very good football coach. That I have concluded we need a new coach at this point in time does not change any of that.
“The tremendous job he did in rallying and leading the grief-stricken 2007 Hoosiers to the Insight Bowl will remain an Indiana University football milestone forever. On behalf of myself and all of Hoosier Nation, I thank Bill for his selfless commitment to Indiana University football and in particular to the student-athletes under his care.”
Glass added that he will personally head the search for Lynch’s replacement and that there will be no official search committee, although the school will utilize the services of athletics consulting firm Neinas Sports Services.
“While I look forward to soliciting and receiving input from a variety of diverse sources, I think it is important for people to know that selecting this coach will ultimately be my decision, particularly given some of the past confusion in that regard. The buck stops with me,” Glass said.
Lynch finishes his four-year IU tenure with a 19-30 record, including an abysmal 6-26 mark in conference play.
As for potential replacements for Lynch, keep an eye on and an ear out for Ohio State co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Luke Fickell; there’s an early buzz out there that he could wind up being a very serious candidate for the position.