Indiana was aiming high in their search for a replacement for Tom Allen, and they did just that as they lured Curt Cignetti away from James Madison University.
Cignetti spent the last five seasons with the Dukes, including their last two in the FBS. During those two seasons, James Madison has gone 19-4 in 23 games, including an 11-1 record this season.
Prior to joining the Dukes, Cignetti was the head coach at IUP and Elon, and served as the wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator at Alabama under Nick Saban. He was instrumental in recruiting Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram to the Crimson Tide, and also coached future first-round pick Julio Jones at the school.
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Cignetti will have a steep task ahead of him in Bloomington, as the team is looking at some big changes to its roster. Top among those will be navigating the transfer portal, as the team has seen numerous players already declare their intentions to explore options, including quarterback Brendan Sorsby and others.
The Hoosiers were left without a head coach after Allen was fired following the team’s loss to Purdue. In parts of eight seasons with Indiana, Allen put together a record of 33-49, leading the team to two bowl berths.
The 2023 season was a rough one, as Indiana finished with a 3-9 record and lost seven of its last eight games.