Report: Lynch Will Be Back in 2010

Bloomington – After a tough couple days on the football field and on the recruiting front, IU Coach Bill Lynch received a vote of confidence from IU Athletics Director Fred Glass Wednesday.

Glass told the Bloomington Herald Times that Lynch will be back to coach the Hoosiers next fall.

“As I said last November, I think contracts need to mean something at Indiana again,” Glass told the Bloomington Herald Times. “But beyond the pure letter of what we agreed on, I think Coach Lynch has done a good job and will continue to be successful at Indiana beyond the length of his current contract.”

Speculation had started to swirl about Lynch’s job security thanks to the Hoosiers’ up-and-down, 4-4 start to the season. Off-season rumblings had been quieted by the Hoosiers’ 3-1 start, including three-point loss at Michigan. But the 47-7 loss at Virginia on Oct. 10 rekindled fans’ discontent , and IU’s inability to hold on to a 25-point lead at Northwestern on Saturday fanned the flames some more.

Adding insult to injury was the recent de-commitment of high-profile recruit Jibreel Black, Scout.com’s 20th-ranked defensive tackle in the nation. The younger brother of IU redshirt freshman Larry Black, Jibreel was clearly the marquee name among the 22 players who had verballed to the Hoosiers. But one day after Indiana’s 29-28 loss to Northwestern, Black informed the IU staff he intended to sign with Cincinnati instead.

Glass’ announcement might not win Black back over to IU’s side, but it should prevent a mass exodus of 2010 recruits who might have otherwise began contemplating other options in case there was a coaching change.

Glass admitted in the article that it’s been an up-and-down season, but he also pointed to the progress that has been made from last season. He pointed to the 62-10 beating Purdue handed the Hoosiers a year ago, and the fact that Indiana is only a couple of plays away from being 6-2 instead of 4-4.