IU football coach Curt Cignetti on talking big and backing it up
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Veteran coach Curt Cignetti is fired up about his new job. Photo: Michael Hickey/Getty Images
Fresh off a 5-year run at James Madison that saw him go 52-9 while collecting a pair of Sun Belt East division titles, Curt Cignetti is taking charge of an IU football program that went just 3-9 in 2023.
Driving the news: Cignetti and the rest of the Big Ten's head football coaches caught up with Axios Indy and other reporters during last week's Big Ten Media Days at Lucas Oil Stadium.
What he's saying: Cignetti, who has been coaching for more than 40 years, knows nothing quiets critics quicker than winning.
- "Normally at these things I stand up here and we're picked to win the league. That's just usually how it's been," he said. "I know you guys (have) been waiting for me to say something crazy. That wasn't quite crazy."
Here's what else Cignetti had to say about what success means at Indiana, talking a big game and more.
📉 On being ranked near the bottom of media polls.
- "It was just three seasons ago that Indiana was a touchdown away from winning the Big Ten conference. In this day and age, the internet society … three seasons ago seems like three decades ago. And all of a sudden, Indiana has become like an impossible job," Cignetti said.
- "What I can tell you is in this business, the margin for error is very slim. And even Indiana last season lost five 1-score games."
🏃 On hitting the ground running
- "Day one on the job … I've got 10 offensive starters in the transfer portal and half my defense. Now I didn't know that, they didn't tell me that, I wouldn't have told me either. Good move," he said with a laugh.
- "Three weeks later we've got 22 new guys on our team. Multiple all-conference players, two 3-year starters, high-character guys, we've completely flipped the roster."
🏆 On defining success
- "There shouldn't be limitations on what we can accomplish in football. Somebody asked me, how do you define success at Indiana? Well, we want to be the best. You don't bring your kids up (and say) 'Johnny, I want you to be 4th best. I want you to be 10th best.' Bullshit," Cignetti said.
- "We want to be the best! So when I talk about no self-imposed limitations, that's what I'm talking about."
💥 On the Big Ten expansion
- "The Big Ten Conference is a great, preeminent league. Has been for a long time. And the addition of the four West Coast teams puts us on an exciting new trajectory. I've got a lot of respect for every school and coach in this league, and we're excited to get going."
📢 On backing up the talk
- "When I say I feel like we've made a lot of progress, I understand we've got to put it on the field. … I've kinda had to speak a big game taking over a job like this because we had to wake some people up and create some excitement," he said. "And after all, this is the entertainment business, too."
Not a fan of the Hoosiers? Check out some preseason thoughts from Purdue coach Ryan Walters as he enters his second season.
Go deeper: IU, Purdue and the new Big Ten Conference