Indiana's Curt Cignetti showcases confidence at first Big Ten Media Days

INDIANAPOLIS – Speaking at the podium Thursday during his first Big Ten Media Days, Curt Cignetti picked up where he left off after taking over at Indiana.

Shortly after his hiring, Cignetti made waves for comments made about conference rivals and teams at the top of the standings during a basketball game. It didn’t take long for his confidence to show as he inherited an IU program that went 9-27 over the last three years.

That was again apparent at Lucas Oil Stadium, just over an hour away from Bloomington. Cignetti showcased his personality even more – and further showing how much he’s committed to winning after leaving James Madison.

Indiana was picked 17th out of 18 teams in the Big Ten preseason media poll. During his opening statement, Cignetti addressed his expectations at Indiana, and he spoke about the high bar he set in a way only he could.

“Somebody asked me, how do you define success at Indiana? I was like, well, we want to be the best,” Cignetti said.

“I mean, you don’t bring your kids up, ‘Johnny, I want you to be fourth best. I want you to be 10th best.’ Bullshit. We want to be the best. So when I talk about no self-imposed limitations, that’s what I’m talking about.”

Curt Cignetti ‘not gonna tolerate not being successful’ at IU

Indiana looked like it was well on its way under Tom Allen. The Hoosiers went 8-5 in 2019, including a 5-4 mark in Big Ten play, en route to the first of two straight bowl games. In the COVID-shortened 2020 season, IU went 6-2 and finished as the No. 11 team in the final College Football Playoff rankings.

In the three years since, the wheels fell off, and Allen was fired after the 2023 season. Indiana then took a big swing to land Cignetti, who helped make James Madison a national name and a hot topic around college football in its quest for a bowl game after jumping up to FBS.

After his hiring, Cignetti said he sells his culture by simply reminding recruits “I win,” which is true of every one of his coaching stops. He has a 119-35 overall record across 13 seasons at IU-Pennsylvania, Elon and James Madison. He also worked under Nick Saban at Alabama before landing his first head coaching job.

But the confidence Cignetti brings – even despite Indiana’s rough history on the gridiron and being picked 17th out of 18 teams in the Big Ten preseason media poll – isn’t a coincidence. It also shows it’s a new era in Bloomington as the longtime coach puts his stamp on the program.

“I guess, having confidence in the past and being used to confidence and having a blueprint that’s produced results and big-time first-year turnarounds in losing programs – or even a winning program, JMU,” Cignetti said during a breakout session. “They were 9-4 the year before, we were 14-2 in Year 1. I guess that’s first and foremost. And No. 2, I’m not gonna tolerate not being successful. I want to make that clear right off the bat.

“And then, No. 3, it’s a new day and age in football where with the portal, you can change your team real quick. Fortunately, I was given the resources to do that. I knew when we came in, I started interviewing the old players, we needed a lot of new faces. Fortunately, they did me a favor by leaving.”

‘We’re just going to an old stadium to kick somebody’s ass’

Perhaps the most telling quote about Curt Cignetti’s mindset at Indiana was when he received a question about playing UCLA at the Rose Bowl. The Bruins – along with Oregon, USC and Washington – are adding a new level of buzz to the Big Ten, which is now 18 teams deep. IU will head to the iconic stadium on Sept. 14.

As far as excitement to play in such a storied venue, Cignetti said of course he feels it. His reasoning, however, might not be what you think from a team picked second-to-last in the Big Ten.

“For all the wrong reasons,” Cignetti said when asked about whether he’s excited to go to the Rose Bowl. “We’re just going to an old stadium to kick somebody’s ass.

“When I say that, that’s not directed towards UCLA. That’s the objective every week. Look, I know that 1967, we were there and we haven’t been there since and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. We’re not going out on a cruise or for a tour. We’re going out to play a football game. We’ve got a job to do.”

Indiana will kick off the first year of the Curt Cignetti Era Aug. 31 against FIU in Bloomington.