Curt Cignetti took the job in Indiana to do things his way and it has worked. Today, Cignetti’s Hoosiers find themselves ranked 3rd in the nation, its highest ranking in program history. That ranking is the result of a hard-fought win over then 3rd ranked Oregon. Indiana is currently 5-0 overall and 3-0 in conference. Putting them in a virtual tie atop the rankings with other undefeated teams Ohio State and Miami. Through six weeks, Indiana looks as good as any program in the country.
On the heels of Penn State firing head coach James Franklin, it was almost a foregone conclusion that Curt Cignetti’s name would be one of the first names referenced with a Penn State coaching search. For a long time, coaching hires and favorable destinations were tied to storied programs and name recognition. Penn State is a college football household name when it comes to noteworthy programs people think of. However, the transfer portal and NIL era has altered that thinking. Curt Cignetti just might be the most successful coach in the country that doesn’t have the benefit of leaning on the storied history of the football program he coaches.
When looking at every nontraditional power or non-perennial title contender in this new landscape of college football, Curt Cignetti stands above all the others. College football is still a sport where David is not expected to perform well vs Goliath, but don’t tell that to Curt Cignetti this week. Alabama, Ohio State, Oregon, Geogia, LSU, and other traditionally expected teams are still good. Some even have real National Championship aspirations. Some programs are resurging like Miami, Texas A&M and USC. However, coaches like Curt Cignetti are bucking that trend and refusing to concede ground to perceived ‘better’ programs.
Recruiting is still the biggest way to become a contender, but Cignetti does not seem to believe it takes a team full of five-star players to win big games. The current Indiana roster has no five-star players, only seven four-star players, and ranks 71st nationally in recruting based on the current star ranking system. The biggest logic behind the idea of Cignetti jumping from Indiana to Penn State would largely be attributed to his ability to recruit higher rated talent due to Penn State being one of those ‘destination’ coaching jobs. While that might seem logical, Cignetti has proven already that he doesn’t need the best players to compete nationally.
There are a handful of coaches in college football who can run their program exactly how they want to run their program. Most of those coaches are not in situations that suggest they will compete for a National Title any time soon. Indiana might be the only one currently in that competing window. The first name that comes to mind for most fans would be Deion Sanders at Colorado. There is no question he runs his program how he wants to run his program, but no one is expecting the Buffaloes to be in the national title conversation any time soon. The same argument could be made about Bill Belichick. Despite his recent declaration that he is not and has not been looking for a way out of Chapel Hill, few would argue that Belichick’s inaugural college football season is off to the start anyone expected. Then you have Cignetti. Doing it his way and finding himself at the halfway point of the season, very much in the national title conversation.
There are any number of articles out today discussing various coaching candidates that could step in and take over in Happy Valley, but Cignetti’s name should not be one of them. The grass is not always greener on the other side and that is a concept that Cignetti seems to understand. When Cignetti signed his Indiana extension in 2024, he was asked why sign that extension when other, more appealing jobs might become available?
“Some people say well, why would you do that when this one may open or that one may open, and you know, you’ll be a hot commodity? The fact of the matter is, we’re the emerging superpower in college football. Why would I leave?”
Penn State is an appealing job and should land a very capable head coach after what could be an exhaustive coaching search. Cignetti though, is good right where he is. It’s good for the Big Ten who have had at most three legitimate contenders in the last decade. It’s good for Indiana, historically a basketball school and a football afterthought for much of their existence. It’s good for college football. College football is a better overall product when programs like Cignetti’s Hoosiers aren’t cannon fodder for the perennial power houses of the sport.
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