BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – On Thursday, news broke that Indiana was finalizing a deal with JMU's Curt Cignetti to become IU's head football coach, the 30th-ever in program history. IU later made the news official.
On the surface, Cignetti's success at the forefront of the Dukes' program that completed the 2023 regular season at 11-1 in just the second season since a transition to FBS projects forward an idea of success that drew the Hoosiers to make the move. Just hours before the move became public, Cignetti was named the Sun Belt's Coach of the Year for 2023.
His success hasn't just come in Harrisonburg, either. His 119-35 record over 13 years as a head coach and the trail of success that preluded it in various assistant roles has rightfully earned Cignetti the reputation of a serial winner. His pedigree as a constant successor and years of experience under his belt doing so – never having a losing record over his tenures at the head of a program – are an eye-popping feather in the cap of a program in desperation of some semblance of consistent production.
In doing so, he's become an adequate recruiter who, despite his 62 years of age, has adapted well to the nature of the transfer portal and the ever-evolving landscape of college football. That prowess will be matched with the resources to do so at Indiana, with a base support of $3 million in support for the next Hoosier head coach.
The narrowed-down search process lasted no more than a week, and Indiana seems to have its man. For IU's administration, the risk in hiring Cignetti is one worth taking. Because if there is replicated success at the same level he's found elsewhere, the narrative around the program has the potential to shift drastically.
Indiana's original move off of its previous head coach, paying a lump sum of over $15 million after negotiation to terminate Tom Allen's tenure as the leader of the program, signified a move of intent unforeseen from the program in such outward fashion over recent years.
The university, in committing to a coach of his age and stature, is putting an importance on a sport that has historically lagged behind fellow programs in its own athletic department. But the canvas is wiped clear of the Big Ten's previous identity starting in 2024. Given the chance to do so now, Indiana, under Cignetti's guidance, hopes to do the same.
Athletic administration, spearheaded by athletic director Scott Dolson, is entrusting Cignetti to generate return on investments the Hoosiers are planning out for the impending future of the program. Significant updates to the experience at Memorial Stadium, the facilities in which the program utilizes and the personnel able to be attracted to Bloomington in a new era are on the to-do list.
In making a move of such significance to a sport that sits quite clearly in the driver's seat of every athletic department across the NCAA, Indiana's swiftness in the process of hiring Cignetti brings the Hoosiers' football program back to a microscope of evaluation.
"I am excited to lead this program forward and change the culture, mindset, and expectation level of Hoosier football," said Cignetti in the official release marking his hiring. "I want to thank Director of Athletics Scott Dolson and President Pam Whitten, and I look forward to working with both in building something special at IU. Both share my vision and belief that big things are ahead for the IU program."
If all comes to fruition in the fashion Indiana would desire, Cignetti should be regarded as the type of home run hire a program – one that hadn't conducted a national coaching search in a decade and a half – would aim for.
In truth, there's possibility to win in Bloomington – recent coaches have done it in stints. But the new big picture in college football may only include those who do that in consistent fashion. While at first glance, clearing the deck ahead of a new-look landscape may seem questionable. Indiana, however, had lost direction and the status quo was far beyond acceptable.
Cignetti will, and should, be given the runway to produce with the backing that hasn't been precedent in the past. He's earned that respect from the likes of Dolson, who made him a priority throughout the search and will count on the results to supplant those feelings.
Indiana's new head coach has ambition in undertaking a job that has a connotation suggesting it's a position not possible to sustain success in. He'll likely waste little time in getting to work.
In a hiring process riddled with potential on either side of the spectrum for Dolson and his athletic department, the Hoosiers have decided upon 'Coach Cig.'
Pardon the terrible pun, but Indiana has real necessity for a smoking start.
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