Unexpected Return -- Moriarity Back at IU

Did you see this coming, that Mo Moriarity would return to coaching football at Indiana?

Yes, that’s the same Moriarity who thrived at Carmel High School the past five years with a 58-14 record that included the 2007 state title and three state runner-up finishes.

It’s the same Moriarity who went 143-31 with two state titles in 15 years at Bloomington South.

It’s also the same Moriarity who coached at Bloomington North for a few weeks before bolting for the Carmel job, angering Cougar supporters who had pushed for his hiring.

No matter. The guy can coach and recruit, and that’s the bottom line.

Indiana coach Bill Lynch was focused on finding the best replacement for offensive line coach Bobby Johnson, who took a job with the Buffalo Bills a couple of weeks ago. Moriarity will coach the offensive line. He was IU’s tight ends coach from 2002-2004 under former head coach Gerry DiNardo. He worked with future NFL player Aaron Halterman.

“We are excited to have Mo join our staff,” Lynch said in a release. “He has been a proven winner through the years. He shares my passion and vision for football at Indiana University. Our offensive line will be well coached and fundamentally sound.”

Moriarity also will provide strong in-state recruiting connections, particularly in central Indiana. He’s a former president of the Indiana Football Coaches Association.

“I’m excited to have the opportunity to work with Bill Lynch and be part of a program heading in the right direction,” Moriarity said in a release. “After talking with Coach Lynch about IU football, I can’t wait to get back down to Bloomington.”

Moriarity has 33 years of coaching experience, 25 as a head coach, with a career record of 241-56 (.811).

That’s great, but the bottom line is, can he get the Hoosiers to pass protect and run block? We’ll start finding that out next season.