Pat Coogan a leader in locker room and on field for Indiana football
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ATLANTA — Indiana football’s starting center Pat Coogan has become one of the team’s most prominent faces this season.
The Notre Dame transfer became the first offensive lineman to win a Rose Bowl MVP award since 1944.
Indiana coach Curt Cignetti has made him Coogan of the program’s de facto spokespersons and he’s only one of two players (Aiden Fisher) who was a game captain for every single game this season.
Here’s what to know about Indiana’s starting center:
Indiana football’s Pat Coogan played in the 2025 CFP championship at Notre Dame
Coogan was the “heart and soul” of the Fighting Irishbefore he assumed the same role in Bloomington.
While Coogan lost his starting job coming out of fall camp last season — the Fighting Irish coaching staff also had him switch positions from guard to center — the decision was short-lived. Coogan re-entered the lineup after Notre Dame suffered multiple injuries up front.
The lifelong Irish fan ended up starting 13 games and only gave up eight quarterback pressures. His fiery pregame speeches went viral during Notre Dame’s run to the national title game.
Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti made Pat Coogan a priority transfer target
Coogan entered the transfer portal in the days following a 34-23 loss to Ohio State. The meetings he had with Notre Dame’s coaching staff made it clear they valued his contributions in the locker room more than the ones he made on the field.
“I think they valued me as a person, leader and member of the team, but not as a football player, not a talent on the roster,” Coogan said.
He was on the phone with IU coach Curt Cignetti hours after his name hit the portal.
Cignetti’s assistants are usually the first point of contact with transfer recruits, but he viewed Coogan as the missing piece of the puzzle and wanted to let him know how strongly he felt about bringing the center’s hard-nosed attitude to Bloomington.
Indiana’s coach also made a surprise trip to Chicago to sit down with Coogan and his father. The offensive lineman had a series of visits, but only ended up taking the one he scheduled to Indiana’s campus.
“(Cignetti) told me they needed me. ‘We need a center, we loved that you got the experience and leadership to slot right in there,'” Coogan said.
Pat Coogan becomes the voice for Indiana football’s ‘misfits and rejects’
Indiana offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan told The Herald-Times that Coogan “knows what to say and buttons to push.”
Coogan gave weekly pregame speeches to the offense throughout the season — and frequently addressed his teammates at halftime — that, according to tight end Riley Nowakowski, made them want to “run through a wall.”
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza referenced one of Coogan’s speeches after the Purdue game on Nov. 28.
“He’s like, ‘Look at us, a bunch of misfits; guys from FCS, G5, JMU coming up; bunch of transfers, bunch of rejects that got replaced at their old school coming to Indiana. Now we have a chance to go 12-0,’” Mendoza said of Coogan’s speech.
Those moments have added up this season with Coogan helping lead the No. 1 Hoosiers to the College Football Playoff semifinals.
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Notre Dame transfer Pat Coogan a key piece of Indiana football’s run
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