New Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti hasn’t exactly endeared himself to reporters.
That’s fine. He doesn’t have to win a press conference in order to turn around a program that’s endured three straight losing seasons and hasn’t won a bowl game since the George H.W. Bush administration. But also, the first-time head coach of the Power Five program doesn’t need to act like he’s Nick Saban, either.
Perhaps someone should remind Cignetti that he’s the head coach of a second-tier Big 10 program. And that was well before the additions of UCLA, Oregon, Southern Cal, and Washington.
But he doesn’t need reporters to remind him of that. The former West Virginia quarterback posted a 19-4 mark the past two seasons since James Madison advanced to the FBS level. So, whatever he’s doing in recruiting, it’s working. But perhaps he shouldn’t be taking any victory laps just yet.
After signing his first recruiting class at Indiana, which ranks 16th in the Big Ten, according to 247Sports (mind you, Cignetti has already previously blasted reciting sites and proved at JMU that star rankings don’t matter), he hosted his National Signing Day presser. It offered reporters an opportunity to get a better understanding of Cignetti’s philosophy on the trail and the culture that he’s trying to instill in Bloomington. And that’s a message he could get out to prospective recruits through, you know, the media.
Holy douche chills. WTF.
— Mike Farrell (@mfarrellsports) December 23, 2023
“When it comes to that culture you were just talking about, you know, meshing the recruits here you’re getting and some of the guys you kept, where does that process start?
Cignetti rolled his eyes before the reporter could even finish asking the question and then proceeded to say he didn’t understand what was being asked.
Well, when you recruit them, how do you sell them the vision of your culture?
Easy question. Standard stuff. Right on the tee.
“Yeah, it’s pretty simple,” Cignetti said. “I win. Google me.”
So, we did. And the 2023 Sun Belt Coach of the Year is right. He does win. He went 52-9 at James Madison. Before that, Cignetti spent years as an assistant, including stops at Alabama and Pittsburgh. He then took head coaching jobs at Division II school Indiana University of Pennsylvania, then Elon (FCS) before going to James Madison.
Everywhere he’s been, he’s won.
Yes, Cigentti does have a fair point. But maybe he wants to win a few games in the Big Ten before employing that philosophy on the trail.
Cignetti’s no-nonsense approach may ruffle some feathers, so whether his bluntness endears him to the Indiana faithful remains to be seen. But one thing is sure: wins would provide the best PR.
