Big Ten rival should 'try to pry' one of Indiana football coordinators, analyst says
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Mike Shanahan and Bryant Haines have been faithful assistants for Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti.
- Shanahan, the offensive coordinator, is in his fifth season working with Cignetti. James Madison had a 19-4 record in 2022-23, and he followed Cignetti to IU, which is 31-2 with a national championship over 2+ seasons. Last year's team featured Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
- Haines, the defensive coordinator, won the Broyles Award as last season's best assistant coach after the Hoosiers ranked in the top five nationally in rushing, scoring and total defense on the way to the national title. His association with Cignetti dates to their Division II days at Indiana of Pennsylvania, and he is in his sixth season as a coordinator for Cignetti.
Cignetti is aware both have head coaching aspirations, and teams may call in the coming offseason. An early possibility is Maryland, according to Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde. The Terrapins (2-2) are coming off a 54-3 loss to UCLA and have finished with a winning record in three of coach Mike Locksley's eight full seasons.
Forde contends either could probably retain some Washington, D.C., area talent and better contend in the Big Ten.
"Maryland should probably try to pry one of the coordinators off Indiana’s staff," Forde wrote this week. "Both OC Mike Shanahan and DC Bryant Haines were on Cignetti’s staff from 2019 to ’23 at James Madison, where they dramatically out-recruited everyone in the DMV area when it came to identifying underrated prospects. When trying to lift up a losing program in the Big Ten, Cignetti stands as the beacon of hope and imitation."
This year's No. 5 Hoosiers (4-0) visit Rutgers this weekend.
Indiana football 2026 schedule
(all times ET)
- Sat., Sept. 5: IU 52, North Texas 16 (box score, stats)
- Sat, Sept. 12: IU 55, Howard 0 (box score, stats)
- Sat., Sept. 19: IU 38, Western Kentucky 0 (box score, stats)
- Fri., Sept. 25: IU 29, Northwestern 23 (box score, stats)
- Sat., Oct. 3: at Rutgers, 8 p.m., BTN (preview)
- Sat., Oct. 10: at Nebraska, noon, Fox (preview)
- Sat., Oct. 17: vs. Ohio State, TBA, TBA (preview)
- Sat., Oct. 24: at Michigan, TBA, TBA (preview)
- Sat., Oct. 31: vs. Minnesota, TBA, TBA (preview)
- Bye week
- Sat., Nov. 14: vs. USC, TBA, TBA (preview)
- Sat., Nov. 21: at Washington, TBA, TBA (preview)
- Sat., Nov. 28: vs. Purdue, TBA, TBA (preview)
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Big Ten rival should 'try to pry' one of Indiana football coordinators, analyst says
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