Joel Klatt labels Curt Cignetti as 'the next Kalen DeBoer'

Just a few years after one of the top coaches in college football came through Bloomington, Joel Klatt thinks the Hoosiers have already found another one.

Klatt spoke highly of Curt Cignetti while on ‘The Herd’ on Wednesday. When Colin Cowherd asked why Indiana wasn’t ranked in Klatt’s Top-10 despite being at 6-0, Klatt said that he’s well aware of their success as he’ll be on the call for their game against Nebraska on Saturday.

“Well, I do know that. I’m calling their game this weekend,” said Klatt. “I love this Indiana team.”

For reference, Klatt later ranked Indiana in the top-five of the Big Ten on his show on Thursday. They were behind only the three other teams rated higher than them with them each currently in the top-four nationally in Oregon, Ohio State, and Penn State.

Klatt then got to Cignetti as he thinks he’s one of the next great coaches in the sport. That included a comparison to one that already is as he tabbed him as “the next Kalen DeBoer”.

“Curt Cignetti, their head coach? Dude, this guy. He can do it,” said Klatt. “He’s the next Kalen DeBoer. Just letting you know.”

There are several similarities between the coaching careers of Cignetti and DeBoer.

Cignetti is in his first season with the Hoosiers. With that, he has been a head coach for 14 years in Division II, the FCS, and now the FBS. In that time with IUP, Elon, James Madison, and now Indiana, he has posted a career record of 125-35 (.781). That career of his also includes his own prior stop at Alabama as a recruiting coordinator and a wide receivers coach for Nick Saban before his first head job.

As part of that, Cignetti has Indiana off to their best start in 57 years with an offense scoring an average of 47.5 ppg., which is their most since DeBoer himself was on staff there. That has him in consideration as Coach of the Year while the Hoosiers are already bowl-eligible with at least some shot at the College Football Playoff.

DeBoer is also in his debut year with his program at ‘Bama. That comes with a record of 109-13 (.893) in his games with Sioux Falls (NAIA), Fresno State, Washington, and Alabama. That span also featured a gap between those head coaching gigs in that one-year stop as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for IU.

Cignetti’s work has been impressive, especially over the past three years while in the FBS. It’s now really being noticed across the sport, including by Klatt ahead of his trip to Memorial Stadium this weekend.