Tom Allen Says Bob Bostad 'Very Best Person' To Become Indiana Offensive Line Coach

Indiana coach Tom Allen had an important decision to make this offseason, and he believes he hired one of the best offensive line coaches in the country in Bob Bostad.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Offensive line has been unstable position for Indiana football in recent years, both in personnel and coaching. This offseason, one of Tom Allen's first and most important moves was hiring someone to change that. 

Indiana officially announced Bob Bostad as its new offensive line coach and run-game coordinator on Dec. 2, and Allen couldn't be more excited.

"Coach Bostad is an unbelievably highly-regarded offensive line coach in this country," Allen said. "Many would say he is the best O-line coach in the country."

Offensive Line coach Bob Bostad, works with his players the during the University of Wisconsin spring football practice at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison :: Mike De Sisti / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Indiana fired offensive line coach Darren Hiller following its loss to Michigan in Week 6, midway through Hiller's sixth season in Bloomington. Rod Carey made the jump from quality control to interim offensive line coach, which came with glimpses of improvement, specifically when Indiana won at Michigan State in Week 12 behind a season high 257 rushing yards. But with Carey returning to his role in quality control in 2023, Allen knew he had to make an impact hire.

That was Bostad, who Allen feels is the "very, very best person for the job." Allen met Bostad when their paths crossed on the recruiting trail when Bostad coached at Wisconsin. Allen said Bostad's knowledge of the conference, ability to recruit the Midwest and track record of success were all contributing factors to this hire.

Bostad joins Allen's staff with over 30 years of coaching experience, beginning in 1990 as the offensive line coach at Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Most recently, Bostad was the offensive line coach for the Wisconsin Badgers, and he's made stops in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans.

In his first stint at Wisconsin from 2006-11, Bostad helped the Badgers win back-to-back Big Ten Championships while boasting one of the nation's top rushing attacks. The Bostad-coached Wisconsin offensive line paved the way for Montee Ball to rush for 1,923 yards and match Barry Sanders' single-season record with 39 touchdowns.

At Wisconsin, Bostad coached eight first-team All-Americans, nine NFL draft picks and three first-round picks, including offensive linemen Gabe Carimi, Kevin Zeitler and Travis Frederick. Frederick became the NFL’s highest-paid center in 2016, and Zeitler signed the largest contract by a guard in NFL history in 2017. Bostad was the offensive line coach when the Tennessee Titans drafted tackle Taylor Lewan, who made the Pro Football Writers Association All-Rookie Team in 2014.

"When I had a chance to tell our recruits that we had hired him, man, they were so fired up," Allen said. They know the track record and the history that he has been able to produce everywhere he has been. So really excited to have him and anxious to be able to get back in the office once we get off the road and start talking some ball with him."

Indiana welcomes a trio of offensive line recruits in the class of 2023, each of whom maintained their commitment to Indiana during the coaching shuffle from Hiller to Carey and now Bostad. It was a unique process, but one that ultimately worked out due to honest communication. Allen said he personally called the recruits and their families as each coaching change transpired.

"It was tough, there's no doubt," Allen said. "But I think the common theme was they were committed and really connected to IU Football and our university and the culture that we have here. As long as I was here and knowing that wouldn't change, they were good to be able to stay and kind of see how things transpired to who would be in that position."

"So I would continue to communicate with them throughout this process, and they stayed true to us, we stayed true to them. And we're just open and honest about it with them, and I think that was probably the key. I respect them a lot for staying with us through that."

Tyler Jeffries of Alcoa High School is named one of Knox News' Elite 8, a collection of the top college football prospects in the Knoxville area for the Class of 2022 :: Calvin Mattheis/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Williams Larkins will join Indiana when the spring semester begins in January, while Austin Barrett and Tyler "Bubba" Jeffries will arrive in Bloomington in June. Larkins is a 6-foot-4, 300-pound lineman, rated as a three-star recruit and the No. 87 offensive lineman. Larkins played center at Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory, winning the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 3A state championship during his junior and senior seasons.

At 6-foot-7 and 275 pounds, Barrett is a three-star recruit and the No. 82 offensive lineman in his class. He'll finish up his wrestling career at Saint Charles East High School in Illinois before joining the Hoosiers.

"I love that he is a wrestler," Allen said. "I love his toughness, love his attitude. Just really, really been well, and he has a tremendously high ceiling that he is going to be able to attain to when he comes."

Jeffries committed to Indiana out of Alcoa High School in Tennessee, where he won three-straight Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association Class 3A state titles. Jeffries is rated as a three-star recruit and the No. 75 offensive lineman at 6-foot-5 and 298 pounds. 

"Excited to have all three of them," Allen said. "I think it's a really good group of guys that will bring some definite talent and depth to that offensive line, and they're obviously young. They're freshmen out of high school. Can't wait to get each one of them here."

With three incoming freshmen, as well as UMass transfer Max Longman, there will be plenty of competition along the offensive line in 2023. Starting left tackle Luke Haggard and right tackle Parker Hanna graduated, but Indiana returns the bulk of its offensive line room for next season. 

Mike Katic, Zach Carpenter, Kahlil Benson, Josh Sales, Tim Weaver, Carter Smith and Caleb Murphy each started at least one game in 2022, and Matthew Bedford, a 28-game starter, is back for his fifth season as a Hoosier in 2023 after tearing his ACL in Week 1 against Illinois. DJ Moore and Bray Lynch were important recruits in Indiana's 2022 class and return for their sophomore seasons. 

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