Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer, January 20, 2014
What was speculated has been officially announced: Indiana has a new defensive coordinator: Brian Knorr. And, he may have the biggest job of any coordinator in the Big Ten.
Since 2008, Knorr, 50, had been the defensive coordinator at Wake Forest under Jim Grobe, who was fired after last season. Knorr was hired by Air Force this offseason but has bolted before unpacking. He ran a 3-4 scheme for the Demon Deacons. Indiana ran a 4-3. If Knorr can take the Hoosier defense from awful to bad, the program could advance to its first bowl since 2007.
?We want to welcome Brian and his family to the Hoosier Nation,? Indiana coach Kevin Wilson said in a statement. ?Brian is a strong addition to our coaching staff. He brings tremendous experience and a solid background having coached on both sides of the ball, as a defensive coordinator and as an FBS head coach. We are excited to work together to take a positive step in building a winning program that our players and fans deserve.?
Knorr was DC at Air Force, his alma mater, from 2005-07, and was the head coach of Ohio from 2001-04, going 11-35 after taking over for Grobe. Knorr's best season was 2004, when the Bobcats went 4-7. He has never coached in the Big Ten.
Knorr replaces Doug Mallory, whose defenses never got traction in his three seasons pushing the buttons. The Hoosiers defense needs help after finishing 123rd out of 125 FBS schools in total defense last year. Knorr's Wake defense ranked 31st in the nation in 2013.
Indiana still must hire a defensive line coach after Jon Fabris was fired along with Mallory after 2013.
| About Tom Dienhart | BTN.com senior writer Tom Dienhart is a veteran sports journalist who covers Big Ten football and men's basketball for BTN.com and BTN TV. Find him on Twitter and Facebook, read all of his work at btn.com/tomdienhart, and subscribe to his posts via RSS. Also, send questions to his weekly mailbag using the form below and read all of his previous answers in his reader mailbag section. |
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