The Indiana Hoosiers have made it to the College Football National Championship Game as the No. 1 team while undefeated, and many credit this achievement to Curt Cignetti. However, he has not been a college football head coach for a long time, spending most of it as an assistant coach under the legendary Nick Saban at Alabama. While he has won a national title as an assistant coach under Saban, has he won one as a head coach? The answer is no. Let’s take a look at his career.
After graduating from West Virginia, Curt Cignetti began his coaching career in 1993 as a graduate assistant at Pittsburgh. He bounced around as a quarterback coach over the next few years, coaching at Davidson College, Rice University, and Temple University, before going back to Pitt for a second stint from 1993-1999. He then went to NC State before becoming Nick Saban’s quarterbacks coach and recruiting coordinator.
He was part of that legendary 14–0 national championship season in 2009 and was responsible for recruiting several key Alabama players during that national championship dynasty at Alabama. He left in 2011 and started his head coaching career at IUP where he was not very successful, but he did leave with a 53–17 overall record. He then went to Elon and James Madison before eventually landing at Indiana.
Cignetti never played in any bowl game during his early years as a head coach, but he did get to the CFP in his first year with the Hoosiers, only to lose in the first round against eventual runner-up Notre Dame. This year, he and Indiana came in as the undefeated No. 1 and has not lost since.
His first postseason win came at the Rose Bowl, demolishing Alabama 38-3. He followed it up with another dominant win, this time against Big Ten rival Oregon, 56-22, at the Peach Bowl. He might not have a lot of post-season success, but Curt Cignetti has already proven himself as an elite coach.
Curt Cignetti Denies Las Vegas Raiders Coaching Rumors
With that much success also comes with some rumors, especially with some NFL teams reportedly interested in him. Reports indicate that the Las Vegas Raiders want him to be their next coach, but Cignetti himself shot those rumors down.
“I’m not an NFL guy. I made that decision a long time ago when I went with Chuck Amato to NC State in 2000. I had a chance to go with the Packers,” he said. “… I declined the opportunity. I almost took it. That’s when I made the final decision, and I’ve always been more of a college football guy.”
The rumors came as the Raiders are getting the No. 1 spot in the NFL draft and the team is possibly drafting Cignetti’s top QB, Fernando Mendoza. If rumors are to be believed, the team wants the Cignetti-Mendoza combination to keep going in the NFL.
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