Indiana Football Fires Walt Bell, Promotes Rod Carey to Offensive Coordinator

Coach Tom Allen and the Indiana football team have fired offensive coordinator Walt Bell following the Hoosiers' 44-17 loss against Maryland on Saturday. Offensive coordinator responsibilities for the remainder of the 2023 season will be assumed by Rod Carey, who was previously the quality control coach for Allen and Indiana.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana football has fired offensive coordinator Walt Bell following the Hoosiers' 44-17 loss against Maryland on Saturday. 

In the team's official release on Sunday, coach Tom Allen announced that quality control coach Rod Carey will replace Bell as the team's offensive coordinator.

“I felt we need a new direction on the offensive side of the ball,” Allen said in the team release. “Rod [Carey] 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.”

Carey was previously promoted to the position of interim offensive line coach during the 2022 season when Allen fired Darren Hiller after the team's sixth game.

Allen hired Bell in the spring of 2022 after firing the team's previous offensive coordinator, Nick Sheridan. Prior to his arrival in Bloomington, Bell was the head coach at UMass, where he finished with a 2-23 record over three seasons. 

During Bell's 17 games as the offensive coordinator for the Indiana Hoosiers, IU went 6-11 and failed to reach the 20-point mark on eight separate occasions.

Indiana also struggled heavily in short-yardage situations this year. Indiana failed on a fourth-and-goal against Louisville with a chance to tie the game in Week 3, got stuffed on another fourth-and-goal against Akron in Week 4, and on Saturday against Maryland, the Hoosiers lost 11 yards on a fourth-and-one play. 

Indiana also had the fifth-worst expected points added per run of any team in FBS through the first four weeks of the season, per CFB Graphs. In four games against FBS competition, Bell's offense only scored five touchdowns. 

Indiana has a bye week before traveling to Michigan on Oct. 14.

Related Stories on Indiana Football:

• DANIEL OLINGER COLUMN: Indiana lost to Maryland 44-17 on Saturday in the most discouraging performance of the 2023 season. Coach Tom Allen blamed execution yet again after the game, an excuse that rings hollow this deep into the season. CLICK HERE
• WHAT TOM ALLEN SAID AFTER 44-17 LOSS: Here's everything coach Tom Allen said in the postgame press conference following Indiana's 44-17 loss at Maryland. CLICK HERE
• GAME STORY: From coaching to the offense and defense, Indiana wasn't competitive in any area of Saturday's game at Maryland, resulting in a 44-17 loss. The Hoosiers move to 2-3 on the season and have a bye week before traveling to Michigan. CLICK HERE