It took Indiana football coach Tom Allen little time to find a new defensive coordinator.
Two days after Charlton Warren left the program for a similar position at North Carolina, the Hoosiers are expected to hire Minnesota assistant coach Chad Wilt as his successor, according to multiple media outlets.
Wilt has spent the past two seasons as the Gophers’ defensive line coach. The Gophers finished second in the Big Ten in points allowed and yards allowed per game last season.
It will be Wilt’s job to turn around a defense that took a big step back in Warren’s one year as the defensive coordinator.
After finishing fourth in the Big Ten in points allowed and fifth in total defense in the COVID-shortened, eight-game 2020 season, Indiana dropped to last in points allowed and 10 th in total defense.
And after finished second in the league in sacks and turnovers in 2020, the Hoosiers were last in the league in both categories this season.
Still, the departure of Warren was unexpected.
North Carolina announced the hiring of Warren as the co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach under Mack Brown.
It will be a homecoming for Warren, who was on the Tar Heels’ staff in 2015 and 2016.
"My family and I couldn't be more excited to be returning to Chapel Hill," Warren said in a UNC release. "I obviously followed the Tar Heels since leaving, and you can see that the program is on the cusp of something special. They've recruited extremely well and have a roster of talented players I'm really looking forward to working with.
“I want to thank Coach Brown and the administration for extending me this opportunity, and I can't wait to get to work with the staff at North Carolina."
Allen now has replaced both of its coordinators from a dismal 2021 season that began with the Hoosiers ranked No. 12 in the nation and ended with them going 2-10 overall and 0-9 in the Big Ten.
Offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan was fired immediately after the season and former Massachusetts head coach Walt Bell was hired to run the offense.
