Most head coaches walking into a program with a 9–27 record over the previous three years would do their best to manage expectations. Rebuilding in college football can be quicker than it once was, but climbing out of that kind of hole is difficult in any era.
When he arrived at Indiana, Curt Cignetti set the bar high from day one.
Cignetti argued in his introductory press conference that Indiana had no reason not to be competitive on a national level. But his most memorable line from his early days as head coach of the Hoosiers came a few weeks later, when he offered a simple two-word response: “Google me.”
Here’s a look back at Cignetti’s now-iconic line from one of his earliest press conferences and how successful he was as a coach before taking over the Hoosiers.
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Curt Cignetti Google me video
Cignetti made some headlines in his introductory press conference at Indiana for his confidence that Indiana could be nationally relevant, but his most memorable line came during his national signing day press conference 19 days later.
Asked about selling his vision to recruits without having coached a game at Indiana yet, Cignetti gave a seven-word response: "It's pretty simple. I win. Google me."
Here is the full exchange:
That was the end of Cignetti's answer. He waited for the next question, satisfied with what he said. While that response might have come off as overly confident at the time, all Cignetti has done since then is back it up, taking the Hoosiers to the College Football Playoff in year one and to the doorstep of a national championship in year two.
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Why did Curt Cignetti say Google me?
If you Google Cignetti today, it won't be hard to find out why he ranks among the best coaches at any level of football. If you Googled him in 2023 when he accepted the Indiana job, you would still see plenty of wins to his name.
Cignetti boasted about his track record because it was a very good one. After spending four seasons under Nick Saban at Alabama, Cignetti went 53-17 at Division II IUP, 14-9 at FCS Elon and 52-9 at James Madison between the FCS and FBS. That amounts to a record of 119-35.
Cignetti's message was clear: he wanted recruits to know he had won at every level he had coached, so if they committed to Indiana they can expect to win. Few believed Cignetti at the time, given the Hoosiers' track record, but he is 26-2 through two seasons and has Indiana on the verge of what would have been totally unthinkable just two years ago.
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When did Indiana hire Curt Cignetti?
Indiana hired Cignetti after the 2023 season. Cignetti agreed to a deal to become the head coach of the Hoosiers on Nov. 30, 2023 and was introduced the following day.
Cignetti replaced Tom Allen, who spent seven seasons as Indiana's head coach. Allen guided the Hoosiers to two of their three winning seasons of the 21st century before 2024, coaching Michael Penix Jr. For four seasons, but Indiana went just 9-27 in his final three seasons, convincing the school to pay a hefty buyout to move on.
Where did Curt Cignetti coach before Indiana?
Cignetti cut his teeth as an assistant coach for 28 years, including four under Nick Saban at Alabama, before landing his first head coaching job ahead of the 2011 season at Division II IUP, or Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
After six terrific seasons at IUP, Cignetti made the jump to the FCS level as Elon's head coach and moved to James Madison in 2019. Cignetti coached the Dukes for five seasons, overseeing a jump to the FBS in 2022, and Indiana brought him over from James Madison at the end of the 2023 season.
Here's Cignetti's complete head coaching timeline:
| Years | School | Level | Record |
| 2011-16 | IUP | D-2 | 53-17 |
| 2017-18 | Elon | FCS | 14-9 |
| 2019-23 | James Madison | FCS, FBS | 52-9 |
| 2024-present | Indiana | FBS | 26-2 |
| Career | 145-37 |
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Curt Cignetti introduction press conference transcript
Here's a look at Cignetti's complete opening remarks at his introductory press conference in 2023:
Thank you, Scott, President Whitten. Appreciate your support, belief, and trust in me to lead this football program in the top conference in the country.
Looking forward to the challenge. It's a challenge that really got my juices flowing, and I left a great job that I could have retired in with a contract through 2030 and won a lot of football games. But sometimes you've got to make hard decisions in life, and this was a hard decision for me, because you've got to be uncomfortable to grow, and I'm too young to stop growing.
This is an exciting opportunity at a prestigious university in the top football conference in the country, and there is no reason why we can't be successful, pack the stadium, and be a source of pride to the entire university and town and state of Indiana -- town of Bloomington, state of Indiana.
We're going to change the culture, the mindset, the expectation level, and improve the brand of Indiana Hoosier football. There will be no self-imposed limitations on what we can accomplish. It will be a day-by-day process that is hinged on being focused on the present moment and improving as much daily as possible to put yourself in the best position tomorrow.
It's how we do everything as coaches, players, everybody in the organization, and there is one leader, and he's standing here -- I am standing, I believe, still standing. In that building, and that's me, and everybody follows that lead. That's one of the keys to success is we have everybody thinking alike.
So, we have a blueprint and a plan that's been successful, proven to be successful, and no reason it shouldn't be successful again. We're knocking all kinds of things out today. And looking forward to getting to work.
Cignetti did not mince words about his expectations for the program, despite Indiana having only three winning seasons in the 21st century at the time he accepted the job. He vowed the "change the culture, the mindset, the expectation level, and improve the brand of Indiana Hoosier football," explicitly stating there would be "no self-imposed limitations" on what the program could accomplish.
"There is no reason why we can't be successful, pack the stadium, and be a source of pride to the entire university and town and state of Indiana," Cignetti said in a statement that, in hindsight, might seem like boilerplate press conference material, but it's pretty clear he meant every word of it.
19 days later, Cignetti gave the college football world a soundbite that will live forever if Indiana wins a national championship: "I win. Google me."