Three years ago, when Kevin Wilson and Indiana parted ways, athletic director Fred Glass didn’t hesitate in naming his next head coach. He felt confident that then-defensive coordinator Tom Allen could get the job done.

As Allen prepares for his third season in Bloomington, Glass hasn’t wavered on that confidence. He still believes Allen is the guy to be leading the Hoosiers.

Wednesday, Glass met with reporters a few days ahead of the 2019 college football season. The Hoosiers open the year against Ball State in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Glass talked about updates and improvements to the football facilities and Memorial Stadium in recent months. The AD also previewed Indiana’s next big investment in the program: an extension for Allen.

“I’ve got a little bit in my cookie jar for that,” Glass said of offering an extension to Allen in the near future, according to Zach Osterman of the Indianapolis Star.

Those type of comments are exactly unique, as athletic directors often show support of their head coach in a public setting to keep the heat off during the season. And, though Allen hasn’t quite delivered on expectations just yet, he’s done a fine job in his first two years.

Indiana has posted a 10-14 overall record, going 5-7 in each of the last two seasons. However, Allen has landed commitments from some of the highest-ranked prospects ever to pledge to IU football. He’s also secured some of the best recruiting class in the program’s history.

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That, alone, is enough of an indication that things are headed in a positive direction.

Still, in order for Allen to stay away from the hot seat conversation, he’ll likely need to get to at least 6-6 and take the Hoosiers back to a bowl game. That’s not a far reach, considering a light non-conference schedule and B1G games against the likes of Maryland, Rutgers, Purdue, Northwestern and Nebraska.

IU has the talent to knock off a few of those teams and squeak into the postseason.

The journey for the Hoosiers starts on Saturday against Ball State.