At his first Big Ten Football Media Days appearance at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis in 2024, Indiana football head coach Curt Cignetti outlined a clear vision for the Hoosiers. Upon his Bloomington arrival, Cignetti inherited the losingest program in Division I football history. But he refused to set self-imposed limitations.
“Somebody asked me, ‘How do you define success at Indiana?’” Cignetti said at the 2024 Big Ten Media Days. “I was like, ‘Well, we wanna be the best.’”
What seemed like wishful thinking at the time transformed into reality for Cignetti and the Hoosiers.
Two years after making that declaration in 2024, the head coach stood at the 2026 Big Ten Media Days podium in Chicago on Thursday –– this time as a reigning national champion.
Cignetti accomplished the goal he sought out in 2024 –– to be the best in college football. Now, Indiana faces a different challenge in 2026: maintaining the championship standard it established.
Despite the Hoosiers’ rapid ascent to the top of college football and this new reputation, little has changed about how they will approach the upcoming season.
“We’re very process-driven,” Cignetti said Thursday. “Our focus is on the things you have to do in the here and now to improve as much as possible. To improve as much as possible today –– those types of things. We don’t talk about product, results. We don’t talk about championships, playoffs, national championships –– those sorts of things.”
Instead, the blueprint that guided James Madison University to a collective 52-9 record in five seasons under Cignetti and the process that transformed Indiana into a national champion remain virtually identical entering 2026.
“Our Monday morning meeting will be very similar to what it was eight years ago,” Cignetti said. “It’ll be about an hour long. There’s certain things we’ll do in there. There’s certain things I’ll say in the team meeting Tuesday night that I said eight years ago.”
While Indiana’s process remains unchanged, the team looks different compared to when Cignetti last took the Big Ten Media Days stage in 2025. Following the Hoosiers’ historic 16-0 season, 20 players on last season’s roster entered the transfer portal, 24 exhausted their collegiate eligibility and three others with eligibility remaining declared for the 2026 NFL Draft.
Perhaps the most notable of these departures was last year’s Heisman Trophy winner and Las Vegas Raiders No. 1 draft selection, quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Cignetti replaced Mendoza with redshirt senior quarterback Josh Hoover, formerly of Texas Christian University, through the transfer portal.
Replacing Mendoza’s impact on winning and producing in crucial moments –– one of his defining traits –– is no small task for Hoover.
“I think what separated Fernando was when the game was on the line, those fourth-quarter wins, the last three minutes, four minutes, that’s when he played his best football,” Cignetti said. “He was a tremendous competitor.”
Hoover showcased improved arm talent and processing throughout his four seasons at TCU. After throwing for 2,206 yards and 15 touchdowns through 10 games in 2023, Hoover surpassed 3,400 yards and 26 touchdowns in each of the last two seasons.
Cignetti raved about Hoover’s playing experience during spring ball and defended his quarterback after TCU head coach Sonny Dykes pointed out the quarterback’s turnover woes. Now, Cignetti is “anxious” to see Hoover in an Indiana uniform in the fall.
“So I’m really anxious to see Josh (Hoover) and the progress he’s made in practice starting on Wednesday and fall camp,” Cignetti said. “All the one-year quarterbacks have followed the same line, and I expect him to, as well.”
Hoover is one of 17 transfers joining Indiana this season –– a number Cignetti called “about par for the course across college football right now.”
While Cignetti has repeatedly emphasized moving beyond last season’s success, he views fall camp as the foundation for teaching these newcomers the process behind the team’s winning ways.
“And it’s all about development,” Cignetti said. “Okay? Player development, team development, positional development and developing the intangibles, the mindset and the identity of your football team.”
Cignetti emphasized his team’s identity involves maintaining past habits, such as limiting mistakes, that produced a national championship. During their 2025 title run, the Hoosiers averaged a 1.40 turnover margin –– the best mark in the nation.
“We don't turn it over, we play smart, all three phases play off each other,” Cignetti said. “We stop the run, we run the ball, we're good in the red area, touchdown percentage, third and fourth down percentage. Those are things I want to continue to do. The faces just change a little bit.”
Cignetti concluded his Big Ten Media Days press conference by commenting on his belief that Big Ten football provides the best preparation for another playoff run.
“The Big Ten is the best league in football, and a lot of really good football teams,” Cignetti said. “It’s hard to win on the road, very physical football teams, very well coached. It definitely prepares you for the playoffs. There’s no doubt about it. The numbers speak for themselves.”
Indiana is set to open fall camp in the coming days and will begin the regular season against the University of North Texas on Sept. 5 as reigning national champions for the first time in program history. Cignetti laid out the vision two years ago. Now, Indiana looks to maintain this standard of success by trusting the process that lifted it from the bottom of college football.
Follow reporters Nathan Shriberg (@NShriberg and naashri@iu.edu) and Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and columnist Elakai Anela (@elakai_anela and eanela@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana football offseason.
