The 2025 season begins with a completely new vibe for Curt Cignetti. New passers, new expectations, same belief in his system. As CFB’s ‘quote machine’ enters year 2 at Indiana, the 2024 AFC Coach of the Year made one thing abundantly clear—his team isn’t here just to participate; they’re here to make a statement. Planting his flag in Bloomington, Cignetti oversees a QB shift, moving from NFL-bound Kurtis Rourke to Fernando Mendoza while maintaining his system’s core principles.

And after the first spring session, he made sure every other FBS program knew it. “This is a football team that didn’t finish the season very well,” he admitted, before doubling down on the Hoosiers’ unfinished business. “Went up and played in the college football playoff and didn’t play like we wanted to play; have some things to prove.” That playoff loss stung. Badly. But Curt Cignetti isn’t the type to let one bad night define a program. His focus is squarely on the road ahead.

But while the head coach is busy delivering messages to the college football world, others have messages for coach Cig. On the Always College Football show, ESPN’s Greg McElroy took a deep dive into the top coaches in the sport, ranking the best from No. 25 to No. 11. When it came time to slot Cignetti, he landed at No. 23. High praise? Maybe. But McElroy wasn’t just throwing out compliments—he was dissecting exactly what made Indiana so effective last season. “The execution was tremendous last year,” McElroy said. “I think that’s a great indicator of how well-coached this program was. You look at their personnel—they had good players, there’s no denying that. But those players did not always check the Power Five box as far as measurables are concerned.”

And that’s where the reality check kicks in. Indiana Hoosiers didn’t dominate the Big Ten with an overwhelming talent advantage; they did it with precision, discipline, and development. But can that success be sustained? McElroy was blunt about the physical limitations of last year’s roster. “They had corners that were undersized. They had defensive ends that were undersized. They had a quarterback in Kurtis Rourke who, while accurate from inside the pocket, was not super dynamic when it comes to running around and creating opportunities with his legs.” The key to Cignetti’s rapid success wasn’t just the talent on hand, but how much that talent improved under his leadership.

“I think every single person that put on an Indiana uniform last year got better from where they were the year before,” McElroy continued. And that, more than anything, is what makes Cignetti’s tenure so intriguing heading into 2025. Of course, Indiana’s meteoric rise wasn’t a fluke. Cignetti’s success at James Madison University carried over almost seamlessly, and the cultural shift in Bloomington was undeniable. “That culture that was created at JMU then translated quickly to the Big Ten,” McElroy pointed out. But the real challenge begins now.

It’s one thing to storm onto the scene and take the college football world by surprise; it’s another to maintain that momentum when the target is firmly on your back. “It’ll be interesting to see where he goes from here,” McElroy added. “Because there are holdovers from last year, there are important pieces that played pivotal roles last year, but they did lose a lot of veteran leadership, especially on the defensive side.” That’s the big question lingering over the Hoosiers—can they withstand the inevitable attrition that comes with success?

Curt Cignetti wasted no time reloading. Indiana landed the 18th-best transfer portal class in the country, according to 247Sports, an aggressive push that saw them bring in 20 new players. Among them are two familiar faces: sixth-year seniors Louis Moore and Khalil Benson, both of whom previously transferred away from Indiana after the 2023 season. Their return speaks volumes about the environment Cignetti has created.

Players want to be a part of what’s happening in Bloomington. The transfer class is a mix of experience and upside, a necessary balance as Indiana looks to maintain its momentum in one of the most grueling conferences in the country. Cignetti’s words set the tone early: Indiana still has plenty to prove.

Real work begins after spring for Curt Cignetti & co

Spring football might be taking a quick breather, but the grind isn’t stopping for Hoosiers HC Curt Cignetti and his squad. While the team won’t be practicing during Spring Break, they’ll be back at it soon after, gearing up for the Spring Game, which has been moved to Thursday, April 17 at 8 p.m. (mark your calendars, folks—no Saturday tailgates for this one).

One key storyline this spring? Cignetti’s growing rapport with new quarterback coach Chandler Whitmer. The two are still getting in sync as Whitmer transitions from his NFL background to the college game.

“Yeah, he’s learning our system; what are our standards, our expectations,” Cignetti said after practice. “He’s been in NFL football for the last four years in various roles. NFL is different than college, so it’s a transition for him. This will be a good spring for him.” Translation? The learning curve is real, but Whitmer is soaking it all in.