Dan Mullen labels Curt Cignetti top college football coach in September

Curt Cignetti has firmly cemented himself as one of the best coaches in all of college football. And he’s not been afraid to let prospects or future recruits know about it over the years.

He’s done an amazing job turning around the Indiana Hoosiers early in 2024, guiding them to a 5-0 start for the first time since 1967. They went 3-9 last year. And on Friday night, Cignetti got some credit from former SEC head coach Dan Mullen.

Dan Mullen on Curt Cignetti

In his weekly segment of “Mullen it Over” on ESPN ahead of the TCU–Houston Friday night matchup, Mullen picked Curt Cignetti as his top college football coach in the month of September.

“Curt Cignetti took over Indiana coming from JMU last year, where he had a lot of success. But he has them 5-0 for the first time since 1967. They were 3-9 last year. 1-8 in the Big Ten. He has this team playing at a high level. He’s got a quarterback from the family Rourke that comes in. The long list of Rouke QBs. But they’re playing at an extremely high level. Playing confident. And because of that his coaching is the Coach of September,” Mullen explained.

Cignetti certainly has no shortage of offensive weapons at his disposal.

Former Ohio quarterback Kurtis Rourke has been exceptional for the Hoosiers. He’s completed 73.2% of his passes for 1,372 yards, while tossing in 11 touchdowns with two interceptions. His top receiver has been former JMU star Elijah Sarratt, who leads the team in catches (22) and yards (378), while also bringing in two touchdowns.

Cignetti and the Hoosiers are undefeated because they feature one of the most high-powered offensive attacks in all of college football. They’re currently averaging 48.8 points per game, ranking them third in the nation in that stat. Their defense has been outstanding, too. The Hoosiers have been limiting their opponents to 13.0 points per game, ranking them 13th in the nation.

Indiana won’t face their toughest tests until November, when they lace them up against the Michigan Wolverines (November 9th) and the Ohio State Buckeyes (November 23rd). On Saturday, they’ll face the Northwestern Wildcats. Kick time for that one is slated for 3:30 PM EST.