Curt Cignetti Q&A: Indiana Hoosiers Coach Looks Ahead to 2026 Season

[Editor's note: This article is from Athlon Sports' 2026 College Football Preview magazine. Order your copy online today, or grab an issue at newsstands and retailers nationwide.]

Curt Cignetti has "spring anxiety" every year - even this year, after guiding Indiana to its first national championship. The coach who changed everything at IU has fully turned the page on a 16-0 season that set records and revised what's possible in a sport normally dominated by a small group of programs that have been there and done that.

Indiana did it all in 2025, putting together one of the greatest seasons in college football history, but Cignetti is fully focused on the follow-up. The Hoosiers have positioned themselves to remain in the national title race. They retained all three coordinators, including Broyles Award winner Bryant Haines on defense, and had only one staff change for the second straight year. They bring back top players on both sides of the ball and made significant portal additions, such as quarterback Josh Hoover (TCU), wide receiver Nick Marsh (Michigan State), guard Joe Brunner (Wisconsin) and edge rushers Joshua Burnham from Notre Dame and Tobi Osunsanmi and Chiddi Obiazor from Kansas State.

But Cignetti is still antsy, after a spring when Indiana was shorthanded on offense and breaking in Hoover and other key newcomers. The Hoosiers must replace quarterback Fernando Mendoza, their first Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall NFL draft pick, as well as All-America defenders D'Angelo Ponds and Aiden Fisher, wide receivers Omar Cooper Jr. and Elijah Sarratt and other standouts.

Cignetti spoke with Athlon Sports about what has changed at Indiana, what has remained the same and turning the page to the 2026 season.

Athlon Sports: What do you sense could be the personality of this year's team, or some of the things that have changed the most, just given the roster changes?

Curt Cignetti: Every year, you start over, and nowadays in college football, you've got a lot of new faces. We have a lot of new faces, obviously, my first year, last year and this year. You're kind of developing guys - how you practice, standards (besides scheme), how you want to play the game. The practices have been clean, crisp, and I like the competition. They're far from perfect. We've got a lot of work to do in the fall because the team's going to look a lot different in the fall. But in terms of the mindset and the work ethic and the way they're getting after it in practice, I think they're on par.

Athlon: When you achieve what you've achieved, is it easier to turn the page or harder?

Cignetti: Obviously, a lot of people on the outside are still celebrating our success, and maybe the administration and people at the university, but in the building you flip the page. I think we've done a good job of that, I really do. There's a lot of work to be done. Everybody's 0-0 right now. All the new guys that are out there have done some good things and some not-so-good things, and usually they have a great summer, and they're a different guy in fall camp and during the season. We're counting on them being on the same trajectory as the other ones, but I don't notice anybody resting on their laurels.

Athlon: Who do you lean on for leadership?

Cignetti: It's early right now. Leadership develops a lot more in fall camp and then in-season. But right now, you're looking at guys like [LB] Isaiah Jones, [DT] Tyrique Tucker, [C] Drew Evans, [OT] Carter Smith.

Athlon: Offensive line was a group you wanted to augment a little bit. What do you sense with that group?

Cignetti: We return four guys who have started a lot of games, and [tackle Adedamola] Ajani started games last year; he's a little younger. Now it's a matter of who's going to be number six, seven and eight, and we've got young guys who have developed and can fit in those roles.

Athlon: Who has stood out among your transfers?

Cignetti: The two Kansas State guys, the D-ends [Tobi Osunsanmi and Chiddi Obiazor], I've noticed them really starting to take a step. Turbo [Richard] is very consistent at running back. [OG] Joe Brunner from Wisconsin. The safety from Wisconsin, [Preston] Zachman, is making nice progress. Yeah. Both receivers - Shazz [Preston] and [Nick] Marsh - can help us.

Athlon: What is unique about Josh Hoover's skill set that's different from the last two quarterbacks you've had?

Cignetti: He's a quick thinker who has played a lot of football. He moves better than [Kurtis] Rourke, but Rourke has some natural quarterback instincts that Josh has, too. Fernando [Mendoza], he's 6-foot-5, could really move. We've always tilted more toward the run in terms of the run-pass ratio, although in competitive situations last year, we're about 50-50. You factor in the RPO game, the advanced throws, which should be easy completions. Whereas, where [Hoover] came from, they're throwing the ball about 60% of the time. It'll be a lot different for him, more advantageous. He did turn the ball over at TCU, so we're going to have to do a great job of protecting the ball.

Athlon: Everyone's trying to replicate what you guys did. What have you learned about this place and the way that it's set up as a university, as an alumni base, even after the fact, that's contributed to where you guys sit right now?

Cignetti: This doesn't get done without the commitment from the top. [University president] Pam Whitten grew up in the South. She loves football, she's committed to see it go. I think once everybody saw what football could do for the university, the town, the alumni base, the state and nationally, once we started winning, they kept pouring more and more in. Her and [athletic director] Scott [Dolson], I just really respect both of them a lot; we're totally aligned. The alignment is the key, and then the staff continuity has been really critical for me.

Athlon: You mentioned the continuity. You know how this business is - it's so hard to keep assistants. What would you say have been the biggest factors in the fact that the staff has barely changed?

Cignetti: It's just been such a unique journey. So you hire [current defensive coordinator Bryant] Haines and [current offensive coordinator Mike] Shanahan as part-time coaches for under $10,000, and you keep moving on, right? And we keep winning, and their jobs improve, and their salaries improve, and I think there's a loyalty and they like the way we do things. They've got free time, too. I'm not keeping them in the office from 6 a.m. to 11 at night. So I think that's why they've stayed when they've had opportunities to leave.

Athlon: You mentioned that a lot of times your teams get better in the summer. Why does that happen?

Cignetti: The summer, the strength and conditioning staff handles that. And then there's 7-on-7 and things like that. And they've gone through the spring, they've been through the plays one time. They're getting bigger, stronger, faster, again, kind of bonding in the summer, getting to know each other better. And then in fall camp, it's the second time through.

Anytime you do something twice, you're better the second time. Last year's team did a great job - their consistency, day in, day out, was the best I've had. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, having the mindset on Friday and then putting it between the white lines, like we asked him to, doing the things we asked him to do. You know, fast, physical, relentless, that whole thing, smart, disciplined, poised, not affected by success or failure, never satisfied until the end, one play at a time, six seconds a play. A play has a life and a history of its own. But that team was extremely consistent day in, day out. And you know, it helps to have guys who are smart and combine the team concept, and then you develop that togetherness and belief.

Related: Athlon Sports 2026 College Football Preview Magazine Available Now

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This story was originally published May 21, 2026 at 5:12 AM.