Followed Tom Allen. Curt Cignetti raised Indiana from Regional Program I to Power Program II.
I thought he played with a lot of confidence today
I'd like to play Notre Dame. They ought to come to our place twice, and we'll go up there once, since they're not in a conference
Yesterday morning we flew in here, right?
(Cignetti was) really focused on winning and really focused on establishing and maintaining a culture of winning
(Cignetti was) really focused on winning and really focused on establishing and maintaining a culture of winning
I started out being a Cignetti doubter, but he has clearly proven everybody wrong
His real stature score, season by season, across every program he’s coached — so a stretch that stays in one tier the whole way can still climb or sink on the line, not just flatten out. Node color marks the tier reached. Which program a stretch belongs to is carried by the shaded lane behind it.
Reached Power Program in his 4th career season — faster than 37% of the 395 FBS coaches who have ever reached Power Program (rank #215 of 395 by seasons-to-arrival).
Where each stint’s offense sat between run-first and pass-first, and how far it moved from one season to the next. The band is that stint’s real season-to-season range, not a fixed-width box.
Season-to-season pass-rate range for all 258 FBS coaching stints with at least three covered seasons, 2014–2025.
How he does in the games that matter most — rivalry record, performance broken out by real opponent tier, one-score games, and his toughest historical matchup.
3–0 against his rivals.
A statistical estimate of this coach’s contribution to team performance, separated from that season’s roster talent, returning production, and his coordinators — pooled across his whole head-coaching career.
Model fit as of 2026-09-04.
Fan claims · every quote verified verbatim
I would argue Indiana recruiting sucks cause even though he committed they’re still ranked 30th but they just won a natty. I simply don’t know what to say lol. Recruiting matters but somehow Cignetti go away with it. Idk if it’s sustainable long term but we’ll see.
Based on 1 comment from 1 poster across 1 thread · Jul 18, 2026 · via ESPN College Football
Would be remarkable for an Indiana program that had never even had one double digit win season in over 100 years of football till he showed up.
Based on 2 comments across 1 thread · Aug 27, 2026
1st-best Indiana tenure of 16 by the numbers.
Outperforms his recruiting talent, on both sides of the ball.
Followed Tom Allen (2016–2023).
| Season | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | ||||
| Record | 11–2 | 16–0 | 0–0 | |
| Postseason | CFP loss | CHAMPION | — | |
| Recruiting rank | #65 | #47 | #29 | |
| Style — pass rate | ||||
| Pass rate | 42.7 | 38.4 | 29.6 | |
| Coordinators | ||||
| OC | Mike Shanahan / Tino Sunseri | Mike Shanahan / Chandler Whitmer | Mike Shanahan / Tino Sunseri | |
| DC | Bryant Haines | Bryant Haines | Bryant Haines | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | ||||
| Offense | 82 | 100 | 93 | |
| Defense | 95 | 96 | 24 | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script (2021+ only) | ||||
| 1st-down pass% | 41.2 | 43.8 | 32.3 | |
| Red-zone pass% | 38.2 | 35.8 | 25.0 | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | 45.8 | 30.8 | — | |
A portal-built roster.
Typical size for position, once adjusted for position mix.
Recruits older, more experienced transfers than most.
10 NFL Draft picks: CJ West (2025), Kurtis Rourke (2025), Fernando Mendoza (2026), Omar Cooper Jr. (2026), D'Angelo Ponds (2026), Kaelon Black (2026), Elijah Sarratt (2026), Riley Nowakowski (2026) + 2 more
Coach of the Year: Big Ten Dave McClain Coach of the Year/Big Ten Hayes–Schembechler Coach of the Year (2024), Big Ten Dave McClain Coach of the Year/Big Ten Hayes–Schembechler Coach of the Year (2025)
10 player-seasons honored (All-America / national award): Aiden Fisher (2024), Carter Smith (2025), Aiden Fisher (2025), D'Angelo Ponds (2025), Fernando Mendoza (2025), Louis Moore (2025), Rolijah Hardy (2026), Carter Smith (2026) + 2 more
AI Narratives — “Indiana's 16-0 Run Defies Roster Attrition” and 18 more on the team page.
3rd-best James Madison tenure of 4 by the numbers.
Outperforms his recruiting talent, on both sides of the ball.
Succeeded by Bob Chesney (2024–2025).
| Season | 2022 | 2023 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | |||
| Record | 8–3 | 0–1 | |
| Postseason | — | L bowl | |
| Recruiting rank | #132 | #133 | |
| Style — pass rate | |||
| Pass rate | 40.6 | 49.1 | |
| Coordinators | |||
| OC | Mike Shanahan | Mike Shanahan | |
| DC | Bryant Haines | Bryant Haines | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | |||
| Offense | 43 | 76 | |
| Defense | 96 | 89 | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script (2021+ only) | |||
| 1st-down pass% | 42.8 | 48.6 | |
| Red-zone pass% | 34.5 | 44.9 | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | 35.7 | 22.4 | |
Barely touches the portal — recruits and develops his own.
Brings in smaller-than-position-typical players than most.
Recruits older, more experienced transfers than most.
Coach of the Year: Sun Belt Coach of the Year (2023)
1 player-season honored (All-America / national award): Jalen Green (2023)