The Indiana Hoosiers announced that head coach Curt Cignetti will remain with the program following their national championship victory. Cignetti addressed his future during Monday’s post-game press conference after Indiana defeated Miami 27-21 to complete a perfect 16-0 season.
“Good question, because I’ll be dealing with underclassmen going to the NFL tomorrow and who knows what else. And if I was smart, I’d probably retire. Then, I’d really be a story. But we need the money. What would I do? What would I do?”
The 63-year-old coach made it clear he’s staying in Bloomington for years to come.
Cignetti said he genuinely enjoys coaching and isn’t ready to step away from the program. He pointed to his passion for film study and team building as reasons he’ll continue leading the Hoosiers.
“I’m a film junkie, and I like putting a team together, and we’re going to have a lot of challenges next season. But I will have a chance to look back at what we got done. These guys made it happen. Let me tell you, we had some good senior leadership on this team.”
That leadership was anchored by quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who won the Heisman Trophy this season. Mendoza became became a fan favorite and helped guide Indiana to its first national title.
Cignetti praised the team’s chemistry throughout the championship run. He specifically highlighted the Penn State game as a turning point for the program.
“But this team was exceptionally close. And I think Fernando had a big part of that, and I think [Pat] Coogan and [Aiden] Fisher and going on the road with some of those guys — the Penn State game, what that did for this team, I can’t measure, when we were down and out and all the odds were against us, Second-and-17, running clock, one minute and 30 [seconds], and all of a sudden we recomposed and found a way to get that done. That was incredible.”
The Hoosiers completed one of the most remarkable seasons in college football history. Indiana went from a program that hadn’t won a major bowl game to national champions in Cignetti’s second season.
Cignetti’s commitment ends speculation about potential coaching changes. The program can now focus on preparing for next season and managing potential NFL departures from their championship roster.
