Whether it’s the “dreaded vote of confidence” remains to be seen.
With a 3-2 record to start the season, there was talk that Kevin Wilson had finally started turning around the Indiana football program. With a five-game losing streak entering Week 13 -- four of them by 16 or more points -- the pitchforks are being gathered up and the torches lit in and around Bloomington.
Don’t look for Wilson’s boss to be in that mob, though. At least not yet.
“To me, the answer is a resounding yes, notwithstanding the lack of wins this year,” IU athletic director Fred Glass said when asked by the Indianapolis Star‘s David Woods if the football program is head in the right direction.
“I just think it takes a little while. That’s why I gave Kevin a seven-year contract.”
Contractually, it’d cost Glass’ athletic department $1.5 million to rid themselves of Wilson at season’s end, which is far from a prohibitive amount. On at least two occasions during his Star interview, however, Glass noted something that, at least in his mind, mitigates this season’s 3-7 record.
“I get that we’d like to win more games,” Glass said. “But I also think you just can’t overstate the impact of Nate going down. ...
“Given the challenges inherent here, Kevin is going the right way. It’s just a shame Nate went down.”
The AD is referring to Nate Sudfeld, the starting quarterback who went down with a season-ending shoulder injury in the Oct. 11 loss to Iowa. That loss was followed by four more, with IU set to take a five-game losing streak on its road trip to No. 6 Ohio State.
When Sudfeld finished a game he started this season, the Hoosiers were 3-2 and appeared headed for its first bowl appearance since 2007 and just its second since 1993. Instead, with true freshman Zander Diamont mostly under center, Wilson’s seen his record tumble to 5-25 in Big Ten play in four seasons in Bloomington; Bill Lynch, the man Wilson replaced, was 6-26 in Big Ten play before he and the university “parted ways.”
“I think contracts need to mean something again at Indiana University,” Glass said in October of 2009. “He’s in the second year of a four-year contract … I hope that and really think that coach Lynch will be very successful.”
Exactly one year and one month later, Lynch was “replaced” as the Hoosiers’ head coach, with one year remaining on his contract.
Wilson is currently in the fourth year of his seven-year deal. Despite Glass’ public plaudits, it remains to be seen whether Wilson will see a fifth year.