In his first season with Indiana football, Curt Cignetti led the team to historic feats. The Hoosiers started the season 10-0, got to as high as No. 5 in the AP Poll, and Indiana reached the College Football Playoff.
Though Cignetti's arrival in Bloomington brought higher expectations, not many in the college football world thought the Hoosiers would be an upper-echelon program so fast. After spending the seven seasons at James Madison, he took the Indiana job in November 2023 and started winning immediately.
Cignetti has brought his winning ways to Indiana, and has given Hoosier fans some of the best football they've seen in quite some time. But the head coach has also made headlines for various quotes of his that have gone completely viral.
From "Google me," "Purdue sucks" and others, let's run through what makes Cignetti one of the most unique personalities in college football.
MORE: Complete Curt Cignetti coaching timeline
Curt Cignetti's best quotes at Indiana
Curt Cignetti is not shy when he gets behind a microphone. Here's a look back at some of his most memorable zingers.
Cignetti pokes at Notre Dame before Indiana's CFP debut
Cignetti was fired up for Indiana's first-round playoff game against No. 7 Notre Dame on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. Appearing on ESPN's "College GameDay" before kickoff, he noted that there could be a strong contingent of Indiana fans at Notre Dame stadium:
Curt Cignetti says Notre Dame Stadium could be 20-25% Indiana fans… 🤔 pic.twitter.com/KprOLoFdKt
— Tim Murray (@1TimMurray) December 20, 2024
He also responded to critics who point out that Indiana hasn't beaten top-25 teams; against Ohio State earlier in the 2024 season, the Hoosiers fell 38-15. But Cignetti was quick to remind people of his own record against top-25 opponents, stating that his teams "don’t just beat top 25 teams — we beat the sh— out of them."
‘We don’t just beat top 25 teams, we beat the shit out of them’
— Ahlibobwa (@Ahlibobwa26) December 20, 2024
—Curt Cignetti HC Indiana Hoosiers
Inject that attitude straight into my veins! pic.twitter.com/wKATo7hyUt
Indiana went on to lose to Notre Dame in South Bend, 27-17.
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What did Curt Cignetti say about Michigan, Ohio State and Purdue?
Indiana has been the doormat of the Big Ten for most of its existence. In fact, the Hoosiers have just two conference titles in school history, including one in 1967 that was shared with both Minnesota and Purdue.
But as soon as Cignetti arrived at Indiana, he began taking massive shots at Big Ten heavyweights Michigan and Ohio State. He also had plenty to say about Indiana's in-state rival, Purdue. Here's his fiery appearance at an Indiana basketball game in December 2023, shortly after he was hired:
“Purdue sucks…so does Michigan and Ohio State” …Curt Cignetti has arrived in the Big Ten pic.twitter.com/4Edzp3z5Zo
— Michael Niziolek (@michaelniziolek) December 2, 2023
"It created a lot of buzz in Hoosier Nation," Cignetti told ESPN on his basketball court battle cry. "I'm sure some people didn't like it, and I'm sure people in Big Ten country thought I was a nut. But I think there was an excitement level before the season started. They were starving for success."
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Curt Cignetti's 'Google me'
In his introductory press conference, Cignetti gave one of the his soundbites to start his Indiana tenure.
Indiana head football coach Curt Cignetti when asked how he sells recruits:
— Jamie Shaw (@JamieShaw5) October 20, 2024
“I win. Google me.”
No. 16 Indiana is now 7-0. pic.twitter.com/bTtLXaUVcV
Cignetti's "Google me" response came when a reporter asked him about how he plans to tell recruits about his vision:
Cignetti's recruiting class he put together shortly after he was hired was pretty impressive. He wasted no time hitting the recruiting trail hard, signing several of the Hoosiers star players in the portal.
- Starting QB Kurtis Rourke: Signed Dec. 14
- Starting RBs Justice Ellison and Ty Son Lawton: Signed Dec. 10, Dec. 20
- Starting WR Elijah Sarratt: Signed Jan. 4
- Starting linebackers Aiden Fisher and Jalin Walker: Signed Dec. 24
All of these players had a major role in the Hoosiers' success in 2024. Rourke threw for 3,042 yards and 29 touchdowns, which was near the top of the Big Ten. Ellison and Lawton combined for over 1500 yards on the ground and 22 touchdowns, and Sarratt led the team in yards and touchdowns.
On the defensive side, Fisher had 118 total tackles and was named first-team All-Big Ten.
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Curt Cignetti on Indiana's 10-0 record
After beat Michigan 20-15 in Cignetti's first year, the Hoosiers moved to 10-0 for the first time in program history. In a postgame interview on CBS, Cignetti offered the perfect nonchalant response.
"What are we, 10-0?" Cignetti said. "Not bad."
"What are we, 10-0? ... Not bad." 😂@IndianaFootball head coach Curt Cignetti was filled with emotion after the Hoosiers took down Michigan 20-15 pic.twitter.com/msMXS2Xfus
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) November 10, 2024
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Big Ten media day
In Week 3 of the 2024 season, Indiana went on the road to play UCLA. The game marked the first time since 1967—the last time the Hoosiers won an outright Big Ten title—that Indiana played a game there. That year, the Hoosiers lost to USC 14-3. Cignetti saw the somewhat significant trip back to the Rose Bowl a bit differently:
"We're just going to an old stadium to kick somebody's ass," Cignetti said at Big Ten Media days in July. "That's not directed to UCLA, that's the objective every week. Look, I know 1967 we were there and haven't been there since, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. We're not going out on a cruise or a tour."
A few months after this infamous quote, Indiana did kick UCLA's ass. Indiana won 42-13, held UCLA to just 238 total yards, made the Bruins go two-for-eight on third down and forced two turnovers in the win.
Before the game, Cignetti expanded further on his July quote, explaining how he treats every game. Even if that game is at a historic venue like the Rose Bowl.
“The Rose Bowl has a lot of tradition for people that follow football. For me, for the team, it’s more of a business trip,” Cignetti said, via Zach Osterman of the Indy Star. “Whether we’re playing in the Rose Bowl or the parking lot, it’s all the same.”
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Curt Cignetti coaching record
| Years | School | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 2011-16 | Indiana University of Pennsylvania | 53-17 |
| 2017-18 | Elon University | 14-9 |
| 2019-23 | James Madison University | 52-9 |
| 2024 | Indiana University | 11-2 |
But, Cignetti's success didn't come overnight. The 64-year-old was an assistant coach for decades, and was coaching at Alabama under Nick Saban from 2007-10. Aspiring to be a head coach, he accepted a DII head coaching job with Indiana University of Pennsylvania, about 45 minutes northeast of Pittsburgh. There, he led the Crimson Hawks to a 53-17 record, as well as three playoff appearances and two conference titles.
When he arrived at FCS Elon in 2017, the Phoenixes had six straight losing seasons. Under Cignetti, Elon made it to consecutive playoff appearances, and gave the Phoenixes their first-ever Top-Five victory over James Madison.
One season later, JMU hired Cignetti, and he spent five seasons with the Dukes. Overall, he finished 52-9, leading the Dukes to multiple FCS playoff appearances.
Cignetti's winning formula has transferred to Indiana so far, where he led the Hoosiers to multiple program records and a College Football Playoff appearance in his first season in charge. Entering the 2025 season, the Hoosiers were ranked in the preseason AP Poll for the first time since 2021.
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Curt Cignetti on winning at Indiana
Cignetii explained how when he arrived at Indiana, he could feel the overwhelming gloom on-campus amongst fans. That's what partially inspired him to give his viral "Purdue sucks" speech at the basketball game:
"I was on campus for about 10 minutes," Cignetti said during an interview with ESPN's Jen Lada. "And I could detect the doom and gloom. That night at the basketball game, I felt like 'you know, I gotta wake these people up.'"
Losing at Indiana has been commonplace for decades. The program has had just three winning seasons since 1995, spanning over seven different head coaches. Not only is Cignetti trying to win games, but he is attempting something his predecessors haven't come close to doing—massively upgrading the expectations to create a culture of winning.
“The first part was easy,” Cignetti said of when he fired up Indiana fans at the game. “But then, why stop there and set the bar at 6-6? We’re going after these two. We want to be the best. Like that thing I talked about with the kids. When you compete, you want to be the best.
“You can’t have self-imposed limitations. ‘Oh, if we go to a bowl, it’s a great year.’ Bullshit. That ain’t the goal. The goal’s to be the best. And what you do is you commit to the process and do the things you have to do to be the best you can be, and then, see where you are at the end. You don’t bring the kids up, ‘Mary, I want you to be fifth-best today, 10th-best.’ No. You want them to be the best.”"
Indiana's 10-0 record is already the Hoosiers' highest win total since that 1967 season that ended with a loss in the Rose Bowl, and there are three regular-season games left. The school recently rewarded Cignetti for his efforts so far, giving him a new contract that increases his salary from $4.5 million to $8 million annually.
"People were like, 'Don't touch that job, you can't win there,' and that lit a fire in him," Cignetti's mother, Manette Cignetti, said via ESPN. "He was like, 'Why can't you win there? It doesn't make any sense.' He had a really good record, he likes his record, so that's motivation to win, too."
Not only has Cignetti managed to instill life into the Indiana football program, but he has it competing at the highest level of college football. Under Cignetti, there is a winning culture in Bloomington, and for players and fans, that's all they can ask for.