Indiana's Curt Cignetti sends classy message to 7-time national champ Nick Saban pre-CFP
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Indiana's Curt Cignetti sends classy message to 7-time national champ Nick Saban pre-CFP originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Indiana Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti is days away from the biggest game of his coaching career when his team attempts to extend their unbeaten run to 14 with a victory against the SEC champion Alabama Crimson Tide.
But the Hoosiers' Rose Bowl matchup against the Crimson Tide is more than just a playoff game: it's career-defining for Cignetti, 64, who owes much of his current on-field success to one man: Nick Saban.
"It was a real important part of my journey," Cignetti told reporters regarding his four-year stint. "I learned a lot from Coach Saban in terms of organization, standards and stocking complacency. I wouldn’t be where I am today without my time under Nick. My family really enjoyed Tuscaloosa. We had great years there.”
Tracing his fond memories of learning under Saban back to the present, Cignetti said those championship-level moments over a four-year period are why he is so confident his Hoosiers can beat anyone.
Saban himself agrees, especially that Cignetti now has the capability to manage his roster however he sees fit.
"I don't think you could change a program as quickly as he has Indiana, especially one that doesn't have a tradition of success and culture as a football program without transfer portal," Saban said on "College GameDay."
Through the portal, Cignetti was able to secure eventual Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza from Cal-Berkley. Not only has it been a massive success, especially considering Mendoza's 33-to-6 touchdown-to-interception ratio, but Saban's approval of the decision speaks volumes about how seriously Cignetti only prioritizes the Hoosiers' elite-level play over anything else.
"We need to be able to do this quickly," Saban said of Cignetti's thought process. "And he brought a bunch of players from his old school that knew his culture and how he wanted to do it. And got a quarterback [Kurtis Rourke] in there that could make some plays. Now he has an even better quarterback [Mendoza], in my opinion."
Despite the doubters, the Hoosiers will have a chance to remind the nation that they are no longer an afterthought in college football.
And, just maybe, they won't be for the foreseeable future.
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