Cignetti: ‘The Best Leaders Lead Through Their Actions’

Head Coach Curt Cignetti opened his press conference on Monday by saying that the team is “making progress but never satisfied.” He continued by saying, “I see a lot of improvement out there, but it’s still not where it needs to be, and even when it’s close you can never be really satisfied if you want to be great.” 

Cignetti then addressed how the leaders on the team have helped set the expectation for 2025, saying, “I think a lot of the guys who were around here last year and enjoyed success…they’re not satisfied, and they know what the expectation level and standard is and how we do things.”

He continued saying, “Every year you’ve got new leadership. The best leaders lead through their actions, not their words. And they lead daily, and they’ve got to earn it every single day. We’ve got a lot of good ‘leader type’ guys on this football team…but I like the potential for this team to develop the intangibles that become important during the course of a season.”

One of those “leader type” guys on this 2025 Indiana team is Aiden Fisher. The JMU transfer was the quarterback of the Hoosier defense in 2024, amassing an impressive 118 tackles. When asked about Fisher, Cignetti said, “He’s selfless and completely bought in to the football team in terms of doing anything he can to make the football team better. Whether that’s leading through his actions, the way he plays, picking up a teammate. He makes all the checks on defense, helping guys learn the defense; he’s a great teammate.”

Another leader that the Hoosiers will lean on in 2025 is starting quarterback Fernando Mendoza. “He’s got a skillset…everybody’s watched his Cal tape, so they understand who he is. He’s a big guy that’s very mobile, got a quick whip, got good velocity on the ball, and can really drive it.  He’s done a nice job of learning the offense and still not perfect, but nobody is.”

As the 2025 season quickly approaches, the Hoosiers look to learn from the actions of their leaders and develop the “intangibles” that will benefit them during games. While 2024 was a great year for IU football, the leaders of this team know that you can never really be satisfied when you want to be great.