By: Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Curt Cignetti was born to coach, driven to win.
Let’s start with that when talking about Indiana’s new head football coach.
He’s the son of a Hall of Fame college football coach, the brother of a long-time college and NFL assistant coach. He’s spent four decades refining his craft as a recruiter, a talent developer and a winner.
Cignetti’s father, Frank Sr., is a member of the College Football Hall of Game and won 199 games at West Virginia and Indiana University-Pennsylvania.
The elder Cignetti also spent five years as offensive coordinator for Bobby Bowden at Florida State. His brother, Frank Jr., has spent 30 years coaching in college and the NFL.
Beyond that, Cignetti learned from Alabama’s Nick Saban, arguably the best college football coach of all time. He was on Saban’s staff for three years, and in that first year, he said, he learned more about running a program than in his previous 27 years of coaching as far as how to lead and manage people, how to practice, how to recruit, how to staff and restaff.
Now, after a successful five-year run at James Madison, he’s a Hoosier, and this much we know:
The 62-year-old Cignetti didn’t come to IU to lose.
“This is a great university,” he said with a tone that reflected his southwestern Pennsylvania roots. “It’s time has come to make some noise and make a statement. We will work every day to make that happen.”
Cignetti’s coaching accomplishments reflect serious Cream ‘n Crimson potential — a 119-35 head coaching record with ZERO losing seasons; 52-9 at James Madison.
That includes one FCS national title game, and two national semifinal appearances.
In the two years since James Madison has transitioned from the FCS to the FBS level, it has gone 19-4, 11-1 this season with a top-25 ranking. That earned Cignetti Sun Belt Coach of the Year honors.
He also coached at Elon (a 14-9 record) and Indiana University of Pennsylvania (53-17).
IU athletic director Scott Dolson saw all that, did his research in determining Cignetti was well respected and well liked throughout the sport, not just for winning, but for doing it the right way, and realized he’d found his man.
“He’s the type of person who will fit here,” Dolson said. “He has high character and is a hard worker.”
Cignetti arrived in Bloomington by plane on Friday morning amid rainy gloom and cheerful celebration. Why not? These are all-things-are-possible times, before upcoming reality from games with Ohio State and Michigan and, thanks to Big Ten expansion, Washington and UCLA could mute optimism.
Not Cignetti’s.
He believes in his plan, his blueprint, his ability to get players to play to their ability and, at times, to play beyond it.
You win this day, then the next, then the next and when all the days are totaled, maybe it’s enough to duplicate the Cream ‘n Crimson magic from 2020, 1987, 1967 and even 1945.
“There’s no reason we can’t be successful here,” he said.
And if IU football history doesn’t always reflect that, well, he’s here for change.
“There are no self-imposed limitations of what we can accomplish,” he said.
The Hoosiers have had 29 previous head coaches. Since 1922, only Bo McMillin has had a winning record (63-48-11). No Hoosier football coach has ever had a winning Big Ten record (McMillin was 34-34-6 from 1934-47).
No matter. Cignetti has a system, and it works. He embraces the challenge with the optimistic passion reminiscent of former coach Terry Hoeppner, who was building a consistent winner until tragically passing away in 2007.
“We will change the culture, the mindset and the expectation level,” he says. “We will improve the brand.”
Cignetti knows how to turn a struggling program around. He did, after all, thrive at Elon, which had been 12-45 in the previous five seasons before his arrival.
“It’s the type of challenge I’ve succeeded at before. I look forward to it. It gets my juices flowing.”
Juice comes from the quest for something more.
“I had a great job. I left a job I could have retired in. My contract was through 2030. Sometimes you have to make hard decisions. This was a hard decision. You have to be uncomfortable to grow. I’m too young to stop growing.”
Growth starts with a question:
What will be his biggest challenge in winning at IU?
“Change the way people think.”
Dolson knew he had his man on Sunday night, although due diligence and coaching search intricacies took until Wednesday night to finalize it.
“He fairly quickly identified himself as different,” Dolson said.
Dolson ran the search, with support from IU President Pamela Whitten, the IU Board of Trustees led by chair Quinn Buckner, and deputy athletic directors Mattie White and Stephen Harper.
Recruiting and transfer portal urgency demanded a quick process — five days from the time Tom Allen was let go and Cignetti was hired. The goal was clear — build a successful football program that competes at the highest levels for the long term.
Dolson says the Hoosiers have the resources to make it happen.
He says he was non-stop from Sunday morning talking to countless people and working the search process. There were phone interviews, then Zoom interviews and then in-person before nailing it down on Wednesday night.
A Buckner encouraging phone call helped.
“Searches like this are a grind,” he said. “They’re non-stop. It’s a lot. On Monday, it was hitting me. Quinn called me and told me to make sure you breath. It will be good. That shows the leadership he has.
“President Whitten has been amazing. How many directions is she’s pulled in, but she was there any time I needed anything. I had her full attention.”
Dolson’s experience in hiring men’s basketball coach Mike Woodson a couple of years ago helped. And in talking with current players, one thing was clear.
“They want to win,” Dolson said. “They put so much into it.”
Dolson said he put together a profile to identity needs — an experienced, successful head coach, a high-level recruiter and proven talent evaluator. He wanted someone with a track record of developing quarterbacks because of the position’s importance, and the critical nature of offense in today’s game. Someone who understood the modern era of NIL and the transfer portal.
Beyond that, “We wanted a winner. Someone with swagger and confidence.”
A Sunday night 30-minute phone call with Cignetti made a big impression.
“He had an incredible depth of experience. He had experience on Nick Saban’s staff.”
Cignetti also made a big impression on Whitten, who praised Cignetti’s passion and optimism. During the interview process, she asked him how he sustained consistent success.
“He said, you wage a tenacious battle against complacency,” she said. “Coach, we’re ready for that.”
Whitten also praised Dolson’s “professional and tight search.” She emphasized several times the importance, to not just win, but win the right way, to understand it’s always about the student athlete.”
“My hobby is football. It’s football and family. I’ve been married 33 years. I still have the same La-Z-Boy (reclining chair).”
His staff meetings start at 7 a.m., but he’s in the office at 5 a.m. to prepare.
He recruits without regard to recruiting service ratings. He focuses on evaluation and player development.
“I’ve never looked at stars,” he said. “Ever. I get focused on certain things, on evaluation. When it comes to worrying about stars, that’s not how we operate.”
How does he operate?
“I’m more into production than potential. We want good students who have good habits.”
As far as the NIL, he says he will use it “as smart and efficiently as possible. It’s really not that hard.”
Cignetti’s teams win with potent offense and stifling defense, which suggest not only high-level coaching and productive systems, but a knack for hiring quality assistants to make it work, and bought-in players to implement it.
In so many ways, nothing matters more.
He’s met with current players, many of whom have entered the transfer portal.
What can they expect if they stay?
James Madison has averaged at least 33 points in all five of Cignetti’s seasons, leading the conference in scoring four times. Three different starting quarterbacks in three straight seasons combined for a total of 10,816 passing yards, 119 touchdowns and just 18 interceptions.
This season, Jordan McCloud completes 68.9 percent of his passes for 3,400 yards, 32 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He was named Sun Belt Player of the Year.
Defensively, James Madison leads the nation in run defense, and ranks second in sacks. Defensive lineman Jalen Green was named Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year.
Cignetti has major college coaching experience as an assistant coach at Pitt, NC State and Alabama. He was the receivers coach and recruiting coordinator for the Crimson Tide under Saban from 2007-10. That included the 14-0 2009 national championship squad.
During that stretch, the Crimson Tide signed superstars such as linebacker Dont’a Hightower, running back Mark Ingham, receiver Julio Jones, quarterback AJ McCarron, running back Trent Richardson, linebacker C.J. Mosley and cornerback Dee Miliner.
Saban’s approval comes with these strong words:
“They’re not only getting a great coach, they’re also getting a coach who does things the right way.”
Ultimately, it comes down to winning. Cignetti referenced IU losing five games that were decided in the final minutes this season.
“The margin for victory is small. It’s about finding the edge, having the edge, having the right mindset. Make sure complacency doesn’t set in.
“It’s a process. There’s a standard, expectation, accountability, work ethic, toughness, pride. It’s wanting to be great rather than average.
“Average is the enemy. You have to have special focus, preparation and discipline. You need the ability to say no.
“You stack great days on top of each other. Play every play like it’s 0-0.”
Do that and you win.
Let’s end with that.
