Former Florida State Offensive Coordinator Fired For Second Time In Less Than Two Years
It's only been a little bit over a month since the college football season got underway. With that being said, the coaching carousel is already beginning early in the year as some programs around the country have gotten off to disappointing starts.
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On Sunday, the Indiana Hoosiers announced they were making a staff change after being dominated in a blowout loss to Maryland. The 44-17 defeat marked the third time this season that the team scored 17 points or less against a P5 opponent. That led head coach Tom Allen to part ways with second-year offensive coordinator Walt Bell.
"I felt we need a new direction on the offensive side of the ball," Allen said in a statement. "Rod brings a wealth of experience and success along with a familiarity with our personnel."I wish Walt and his family the best moving forward and thank him for his contributions to our program."
Under Bell's guidance, Indiana ranked No. 111 nationally in scoring offense and No. 110 in total offense as the program has limped out to a 2-3 start. Those numbers were even worse than his first year with the program as the Hooseries finished No. 98 in scoring and No. 110 (the same) in total offense in 2022.
This is the second time that Bell has been fired since 2021. He was let go by Massachusetts prior to the conclusion of his third season leading the program in what has marked his only head coaching job at the FBS level. Bell finished his tenure with the Minutemen 2-23. He went 1-11 in 2019, 0-4 in 2020, and 1-8 in 2021 before being dismissed late in the season after a loss to FCS Rhode Island.
Bell spent one season in Tallahassee as the offensive coordinator under former head coach Willie Taggart. He was the primary recruiter for Florida State's quarterback commitment, Sam Howell at the time. Bell left for UMass, where he was defeated by the Seminoles 59-3 in 2021 while Howell finished his college career 0-2 against FSU.
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