Curt Cignetti Gets Honest About Indiana Legacy, Expectations For Josh Hoover

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

When Indiana hired Curt Cignetti as its coach in November of 2023, most fans expected him to improve the program. What they didn’t expect was for him to create a powerhouse overnight.

Well, that’s exactly what Cignetti has done in Bloomington over the past two seasons. After leading Indiana to an 11-2 record and College Football Playoff appearance in 2024, he coached the program to a 16-0 record and national championship during the 2025 season.

Cignetti helped develop a handful of NFL players, including Fernando Mendoza, Omar Cooper Jr. and D’Angelo Ponds. Now, he’ll try to replace that talent while competing for another national title.

But first things first, Cignetti is letting loose as part of a fun partnership with State Farm.

The Spun: Can you tell us about your partnership with State Farm and what kind of inspired you at this point in your career to kind of jump into the State Farm family? Also, was it a bit odd doing your “power stance” for a commercial?

Curt Cignetti: When you reach the top of the mountain, you have a lot of opportunities. So there’s been a lot of noes and very few yeses. State Farm operates at a high standard – they’re very detailed and people respect them. They’ve been around a long time, so this was a yes.

It’s natural when I do it [the power stance] in a game and there’s a couple different stances with hand placement, but everybody seems to get fixated on one of them. You know what I mean? I think that’s kind of funny. It was great to work with Jake and everyone on set – I was super impressed.

The Spun: I know it’s all worked out, but did you have any doubts about joining Indiana?

Cignetti: Truthfully, it was a very quick process, about a three-day process. I was laying in bed with my wife about 7 o’ clock at night and I kind of felt like Indiana was going to call and offer me the job. At that point in time, I was leaning towards staying at James Madison. And then Scott Dolson called me up and congratulated me [on getting the Indiana job]. A big part of the reason I took the job was because Pamela Whitten, the president, and Scott Dolson, the athletic director, really sold me on the commitment and how important it was to get football going there.

The Spun: We’ve seen teams that earn first-round byes in the CFP stumble out of the gates. Indiana, however, defeated Alabama pretty easily. How did the Hoosiers avoid falling into that trap?

Cignetti: I’ll keep that answer pretty simple. You got to get their attention and get them ready to play. Sometimes, you got to rock their world. What we do in athletics is not normal at all. The margin for error between victory and defeat is very slim, but we went into that game ready to play.

The Spun: Indiana signed a talented quarterback in Josh Hoover. What’s your confidence level in him?

Cignetti: Well, he’s played a lot of football, he’s won a lot of games, thrown a lot of touchdown passes and thrown for a lot of yards. About our last seven quarterbacks have all been Player of the Year in the conference – most of them are one-year portal guys.

I’d say going through spring ball, he was right where all the other ones were. When you’re learning a new offense, you have some good days, some average days. I expect him to build off his success and play really well for us.

The Spun: One of your former players from Elon described your coaching style as relentless. Where does that come from?

Cignetti: It could’ve been family-driven. My dad was a coach, a Hall of Fame coach. You know, my brother and I both coached – it could have came from there. It’s hard for me to answer that question, but I had a really good experience at Elon. I had a lot of great kids on that team. I’ve also had great continuity on my staffs, so that has definitely helped me.

The Spun: If the CFP expands, there’s a good chance we’ll see Indiana host a playoff game. What would that atmosphere be like?

Cignetti: Well, we have Ohio State at home in October. I doubt it’ll get much bigger than that.

The Spun: I know you’re focused on the 2026 season and winning more national titles, but do you ever get a moment to enjoy the wins?

Cignetti: That’s a good question. Every once in a while, it’ll hit you and leave you like, ‘Wow.’ But you can’t dwell on it because there’s always so much to do, there really is.

***

Indiana will begin its season on Sept. 5 against North Texas. Its first Big Ten test will come on Sept. 25 against Northwestern.

We’ll see if Cignetti and the Hoosiers can successfully defend their title.

This story was originally published by The Spun on Aug 29, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos