Curt Cignetti
- Thread starter CyVik7
- Start date
It’s absolutely both. You aren’t doing that with bad coaching. You also aren’t doing that without really well funded NIL.
Cignetti is a great coach. They also bought the runaway best player and probable #1 overall pick at the most important position.
Cignetti is a great coach. They also bought the runaway best player and probable #1 overall pick at the most important position.
We didn't pull our starters against Arizona right away and fans lost their mind because Jontez got hurt.
Yep, good old CF, we need to play the starters the whole game. Then they get hurt, why the hell was he in there at that time, we can’t be letting our starters play late in a blowout.
Its the risk you take, I believe in the idea if a player is going to get hurt, they are going to hurt, and it could be practices or a game, so you might as well be playing them. Its just like the players that opt out of the bowl games for health reasons, I get why they do it, but the amount of injuries that are severe enough to hurt a player in the draft are few and far between, but we remember them when they do occur.
I don’t understand why this isn’t getting more attention. This is as (if not more) important than Cignetti
Why would ESPN or Fox want to play this up? Telling 80% of the fanbases that you’ll never compete due to NIL isn’t good for viewership. Telling all these fanbases they can have this too if they hire the right G5 coach is a lot better for business.
I think Cignetti and Indiana are a one off in this. It definitely took both the NIL and GREAT coaching for the IU turnaround. It cannot be understated that Cignetti was Nick Saban's Recruiting Coordinator from 2007-11 - when they recruited super elite talent that won BCS Championships in 2009 and 2011 - while Cignetti was there and 2012 the year after he left. He was Saban's right hand man picking and choosing who would come to 'Bama. Then, he went to IUP and Elon and proved that he could run a program and WIN.
Enter Indiana with NIL to spend, and a proven program builder and recruiter ended up at a place with NIL to spend. The thing is that he did that in 2 years - while DeGoober (who inherited 5* talent at Alabama) has muddled through two years. Alabama still has more talent than Indiana, but Cignetti has instituted his system and coached his talent very well. I cannot express how impressive this Indiana team is. They remind me so much of Saban's 2009 (14-0) BCS Championship Team in style of play, etc. That is not an accident.
So, just using Alabama and Indiana in the past two years with their current second year coaches as an example, Indiana is better now, but it has to do with Cignetti more than NIL IMO. If Cignetti was at Alabama the past two years, I think Alabama would be #01 right now, and if DeGoober was at Indiana right now, I don't think Indiana would have won the B1G this year let alone be #01 undefeated and favorite to win the CFP.
Bottom Line. Two years ago, Indiana made a GREAT hire, and Alabama did not.
Go Hoosiers! I hope they win the CFP!
College Football has ALWAYS been about TWO things:
1. Coaching
2. Quarterback play
And #1 can impact #2, in terms of how you use the guy you have in the position.
Having a ton of 5-stars that aren't sure what they are doing (e.g. Tech yesterday), are in a bad scheme (e.g. those Texas teams under Herman), or limited by poor in-game management (e.g. Ryan Day) is suboptimizing. And those are all COACHING, 100%.
If you have a great coach, you have a great program (Saban, Kirby). If you have a good coach, you have a good program (CMC, Joey Mac, and many more).
In the past two years since DeGoober became the HC:
Alabama has been (9-4) + (11-4) = 20-8 (.714)
Alabama lost in the 2025 SEC CCG
Alabama lost the 2024 Reliaquest Bowl, Won @ OU in 2025 CFP First Round and lost the 2026 Rose Bowl
Alabama is (2-2) vs. B1G Teams
Iowa State has been (11-3) + (8-4) = 19-7 (.731)
Iowa State lost in the 2024 Big XII CCG
Iowa State won the 2024 Pop-Tarts Bowl
Iowa State is (2-0) vs. B1G Teams
Except for the Unwarranted Playoff bid Alabama received this year, looks like ISU already has some of that mediocrity! Hell, at least Iowa State doesn't lose to B1G teams. / sarcasm
It takes both. Cignetti very well may be the best coach in college football. He probably is. But you’re not doing this without NIL landing far and away the best player in college football.
Nobody really knows, but the Cal rumors were $2M for Mendoza.
Yes, the coaching is amazing. Really fun team to watch. It was the perfect storm. A college with lots of potential to raise money started caring about football and made a great hire. I would like to see them play Mississippi in the championship just to have some new teams in there.
I mean that mentality is across all aspects. Prior to CMC leaving... when we had lost a few games half of this board said the OC needed be fired. 6 weeks later and they're all crying because JP didn't hire him as the next HC.
Everyone goes home at a decent time in the Indiana staff, I love efficient people, inefficient people are horrible to deal with and they ought to be ashamed of themselves.
Ha, yeah, I had an interview once, earlier in my career. Person who would have been my new boss said, "Our hours are officially 8:30 to 4:30, but everyone is expected to stay later than that, at least an hour." It would have been a significant pay raise, but I couldn't help but ask, "Do you not have enough people on staff to do the work or is everyone here just terribly inefficient?" Either way, that isn't an environment I was willing to work in.
for starters, they get 90 mil from their media contract. And, they have Mark Cuban. They are miles ahead of where ISU is in terms of resources.
We can sit here and say that Indiana has deep pockets and the Mark Cuban stuff but they still aren't in the same stratosphere financially as Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, USC, Oregon, Washington are for sure and probably lag behind Michigan State, Iowa, Nebraska and UCLA as well.
What Cig has done/is doing is insane. It's Bill Snyder with a higher ceiling.
What Cig has done/is doing is insane. It's Bill Snyder with a higher ceiling.
