MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Curt Cignetti has been a part of numerous successful coaching staffs throughout his college football career.
Now Indiana football head coach, he served as a wide receiver coach for the University of Alabama when the Crimson Tide won the 2010 National Championship. In his first head coaching stint with Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Cignetti led the program to three NCAA Division II Playoff appearances.
With James Madison University, Cignetti amassed a 52-9 overall record across five seasons before leaving for Indiana.
Despite Cignetti’s coaching success elsewhere, few teams have embodied his message of discipline and mistake-free football as well as Indiana in the 2025-26 season.
The Hoosiers lead the nation in turnover margin and have lost just one fumble on the season, a testament to their attention to detail and commitment to playing clean football.
A defining element of this disciplined football philosophy is the Hoosiers’ experience –– something Cignetti has prioritized in the transfer portal since arriving in Bloomington.
“But I think getting older, mature guys that played a lot of football, if they've got the right stuff — which I'm not bringing them in if they don't — it's an asset,” Cignetti said Jan. 12.
The Hoosiers’ starting offensive and defensive units each boast a multitude of experience, with 47 players on the 2025 roster being juniors or above. With 13 players following Cignetti to Indiana from James Madison in 2024, seven still remain on the roster and bring veteran leadership to the program.
Cignetti’s commitment to bringing in players with experience has allowed the program to “buy into the team vision.”
“And then down in the locker room, we've got a lot of older guys that have high character, great leadership traits,” Cignetti said. “They can buy into the team vision. They're very consistent, day in and day out, in terms of being committed and disciplined and working hard toward improvement, staying focused on the goal, keeping the eye on the bullseye, so to speak.”
That veteran discipline seems to have made mistakes such as pre-snap penalties rare. The Hoosiers average just 3.67 penalties per game, which ranks as the fifth-best mark in the nation.
Now, Indiana prepares for its first College Football Playoff National Championship appearance in school history against the University of Miami on Monday. But despite the most important game in program history on tap, the Hoosiers are preparing just as they have for every game this season.
Redshirt senior offensive lineman Pat Coogan played in last year’s National Championship with the University of Notre Dame. Pulling from that experience, Coogan knows the importance of staying grounded in the moment.
“The stage is big, but the stage has been big,” Coogan said during Media Day on Saturday. “So I think we've done a great job of just keeping our eyes focused, staying focused on the task at hand, not making it bigger than it is, not changing our process just because it's a different game or just because it's the National Championship.”
Despite their perfect record, the Hoosiers faced adversity throughout the regular season. From a narrow five-point win over Iowa on Sept. 27, to needing an unlikely touchdown grab by redshirt junior wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. in the final moments to defeat Penn State on Nov. 8, Indiana responded to each challenge.
With one final challenge awaiting and mounting pressure to bring the first national title back to Bloomington, the Cream and Crimson look to continue avoiding complacency and lean on their experienced players to lead.
“So when you have guys that are able to lead and have been in situations before and know how to handle adversity and themselves when things are going well, too, it helps out a lot,” sixth-year redshirt senior tight end Riley Nowakowski said Saturday.
While Cignetti has instilled the importance of discipline and avoiding complacency, the team’s bond has also strengthened their commitment to these principles.
Across its two College Football Playoff games leading up to the National Championship, Indiana totaled 94 points, while not turning the ball over once. Redshirt senior running back Kaelon Black attributed the Hoosiers’ offensive execution to the chemistry of the unit during Media Day Saturday.
“I feel like it's our camaraderie honestly,” Black said. “I feel like Coach Cignetti has done a great job bringing in the right guys that fit in the right system.”
These relationships built throughout the course of the season allow the Hoosiers to rally together in key moments, redshirt junior linebacker Isaiah Jones said Saturday.
“No one cares who makes the tackle or gets the touchdown,” Jones said. “I think if you see when someone scores, they're swamped by the whole team. When someone on offense scores, everyone scores. When someone on defense makes a big play, everyone makes a big play. And that's what makes this team special.”
As Indiana steps into its biggest game in program history Monday, the Hoosiers will continue to lean on the experience and camaraderie that has defined their disciplined season.
Follow reporters Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and Dalton James (@DaltonMJames and jamesdm@iu.edu) and columnist Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa and qmrichar@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana football season.
