Curt Cignetti has made a habit of leading Indiana football fans through chants, whether it be his patented “Go IU!” or the famous “Hoo, Hoo, Hoo, Hoosiers.”
The Indiana football head coach, who completed his second season at the helm in glorious fashion just under a month ago, led a crowd of a few hundred Indiana students through such chants during the Indiana Memorial Union Board’s “A Conversation with Coach Cignetti” on Tuesday night inside the IU Auditorium in Bloomington. Cignetti spoke for nearly an hour about his tenure so far, next season and more. Here are six takeaways from Tuesday’s event:
Hoosier faithful, students were “incredible”
Before Cignetti arrived at Indiana, sellouts were a rarity — just eight in the 21st century — and only occurred against high-profile opponents like Michigan or Ohio State.
However, the Hoosier faithful sold out Memorial Stadium in Bloomington eight times across 15 total home games in the last two seasons. Cignetti said the student turnout and on-campus support has been “incredible.”
“I mean, the student section is sold out every game, and the energy that you bring to the stadium and the momentum that you create, our players feed off that,” he said.
Throughout the Hoosiers’ postseason run — including the Big Ten Championship game against Ohio State in Indianapolis — the fans provided a significant edge.
“I just can’t say enough about how great that fan support was and what that meant to our football team, and how it elevated our play,” Cignetti said. “I don’t think there’s any question about it.”
Indiana sent nationwide message vs. Illinois
Ahead of the Hoosiers’ 2025 campaign, many media pundits deemed Illinois the “year’s Indiana.” The Fighting Illini returned much of their core from their 10-3 season in 2024, and national media projected Illinois to make its first College Football Playoff berth.
Conveniently for the Hoosiers, their conference opener Sept. 20 was slated against the Fighting Illini. The Cream and Crimson were “lurking in the weeds” throughout the offseason, Cignetti said, with their eyes on the matchup.
Indiana pummeled Illinois 63-10, improving to 4-0 and showing the rest of the college football world what it was capable of against a high-level opponent.
“I think we sent a message to the country that night with a lot more games to be played,” he said.
When Cignetti viewed Indiana as “team of destiny”
Indiana was in a precarious position against Penn State on Nov. 8, with its unblemished record on the line.
Although the Hoosiers allowed the Nittany Lions to score 17 unanswered points in front of 105,231 fans inside Beaver Stadium, redshirt junior quarterback Fernando Mendoza orchestrated one of the greatest drives in Indiana history to improve to 10-0.
Mendoza connected with four pass-catchers throughout the possession, ultimately firing a pass to redshirt junior receiver Omar Cooper Jr., who made a miraculous touchdown catch.
Cignetti said Cooper’s score will be remembered as an “iconic” play not only for Indiana, but also in the college football history books.
“It was just the most incredible comeback,” Cignetti said. “I’ve never been a part of anything like that before. After we got that done, in my mind, I was thinking to myself — you win games, and you develop confidence, people start believing in you — but this game, this team might be a team of destiny.”
Leadup to Rose Bowl was biggest coaching job
History wasn’t on Indiana’s side ahead of its CFP quarterfinal matchup against the No. 9 University of Alabama in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1.
The Hoosiers sought to become the first team with a first-round bye to advance to the quarterfinals in the two-year history of the 12-team CFP format.
Throughout Indiana’s 19-day gap between Alabama’s first-round game and the Rose Bowl, Cignetti said he faced his “biggest coaching job all year long.”
As a result, he said he “wasn’t a very nice person to anybody 24/7.”
“I just felt like that’s what it was going to take to snap this team back into the right mindset and get ready for this game,” he said.
A 38-3 beatdown of the Crimson Tide followed in “The Granddaddy of Them All.”
Cignetti 100% tied to Pamela Whitten and Scott Dolson
Although Cignetti has been at the helm of the Hoosiers for just two seasons, he’s signed three contracts — his latest coming in mid-October 2025.
With blue-blood programs seeking to poach Cignetti away from Bloomington, IU officials — specifically President Pamela Whitten and athletic director Scott Dolson — sought to be proactive and lock in their head coach.
The duo has upped the university’s commitment to success in football, whether it be in-stadium amenities or financial commitments to retain key assistant coaches. Should either Whitten or Dolson leave Indiana, Cignetti’s contract buyout is cut in half.
“It takes a commitment from the top to make this happen,” Cignetti said. “I am tied to those two, Pam Whitten and Scott Dolson, all the way 100%.”
Cignetti ready to start building foundation
Indiana set all sorts of records in 2025. Whether it was being the first college football team to go 16-0 since Yale University in 1894 or winning the program’s first outright Big Ten title since 1945, Cignetti’s second season yielded what many thought were impossible results.
But the Hoosiers’ storybook season in the past.
Cignetti and his staff brought in 17 players via the transfer portal, including presumed starting quarterback Josh Hoover and premier wide receiver Nick Marsh.
The Cream and Crimson have begun their offseason training program in the weight room with new strength and conditioning coach Tyson Brown, who Cignetti hired Jan. 23 after Derek Owings left for the University of Tennessee.
Indiana’s attention is on improving every day ahead of the 2026 season, which is slated to begin against the University of North Texas on Sept. 5.
"Now,” Cignetti said, “we got to start it all over again and dig that hole for the house and then the foundation.”
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames and jamesdm@iu.edu) and Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana football offseason.
