Cignetti Reveals an Interesting Step in His Process of Taking a New Head Coaching Job

Written by: Nate Comp (@NathanComp1)

In a coaching career that has spanned over forty years, Curt Cignetti has taken another head coaching position for the fourth time. He has had success every step of the journey – a simple Google would reveal this, as he would tell you himself. He credits much of his success to his coaching philosophy that he takes every step of the way with him, and yesterday he revealed an interesting step in the transition process as he begins a new job.

“The first thing I do the day before I get there is I have the previous staff rank the returning team 1 to 50,” said Cignetti during his National Signing Day press conference. “Every coach does his own rating. Somebody in the office blends the ratings together, comes up with an average. They put it on my desk so the minute I walk in my office, I sit there, and this guy is the No. 1 rated guy on the team and this guy is the No. 50 rated guy on the team. I get a good feel for the roster right there.”

Once he has an idea of the roster, he can get to work. Cignetti described the first three weeks on the job as “20 straight days of fourth-and-one” and detailed how despite living just three blocks from campus in campus housing, he has yet to see Bloomington in the daylight. There has just been too much to do during too critical of a time.

“The next day I interview the old staff, every one of them,” Cignetti continued. “I sit down 20 minutes to an hour. We talk. I respect those guys. I've been fired before as an assistant coach when I was young. It's part of the business. I get it. They aren't bad coaches. There are a lot of damn good coaches that were on that staff last year. But we talk about the kids. I'll make a few notes, so I have a little bit more of a feel. Not only for why they were ranked in the top 50, but is he a good teammate? Is he consistent? Does he work hard? Is he committed? Is he a pain in the ass?”

It is a bit surprising hearing that Cignetti incorporates the opinions of a staff he has no intentions of retaining, but it has worked for him time and time again. Cignetti likely saw a few recurring names who received high grades and testimonials – names like Donaven McCulley, Carter Smith, and Jordan Grier certainly come to mind. And as a testament to his process and the success he has seen already in his stint with the Hoosiers, a lot of his top guys have chosen to stay with the Hoosiers.

“Those three guys really, I think, are our kind of guys. I was extremely excited when Donaven came back. We got the quarterback commitment (Kurtis Rourke from Ohio University), and about two hours later Donaven called me. That was a great day. I truly was not expecting that because the word on the street was Florida State. We can take his game to another level. I know what he wants, but he's a team guy. So, I think it's a great marriage.”

The roster construction will continue into 2024 before the team begins formal spring practice later in the spring semester. Cignetti continues to analyze the roster and potential fits, both inside and outside of the program. But there is no doubt, Cignetti trusts in his process and expects to win immediately with the roster he ultimately will put together.

“This is my fourth head coaching job. The first two were major rebuilds, and we won big year one, and I fully expect to win big this year.”

Hoosier Huddle will continue to track the beginning of a new college football era in Bloomington led by Curt Cignetti.