Indiana’s offense improved quite a bit from 2018 to 2019, the one year Kalen DeBoer was in Bloomington as the program’s offensive coordinator.
DeBoer left IU to return to being a head coach, and all he did was lead Fresno State to a bowl game, Washington to the national title game, and then he was named this offseason as the new head coach at Alabama.
DeBoer has amassed an impressive record of 109-13 (.893) in his games with Sioux Falls (NAIA), Fresno State, Washington, and Alabama.
While on ‘The Herd’ on Wednesday, FOX announcer Joel Klatt, a former Colorado quarterback who is calling the IU vs. Nebraska game this weekend, says he sees similarities between DeBoer and IU football coach Curt Cignetti.
“I love this Indiana team,” Klatt said.
“Curt Cignetti, their head coach? Dude, this guy. He can do it. He’s the next Kalen DeBoer. Just letting you know.”
Cignetti started his head coaching career much later than DeBoer, but he does indeed have a very similar track record. With stops at Indiana University Pennsylvania, Elon, James Madison and now IU, Cignetti is 125-35 (.781) as a head coach. He’s never had a losing season and won’t this year after a 6-0 start to his tenure in Bloomington.
Although the offense took a step back, Indiana continued to play at a high level in 2020, the year after DeBoer left. And then the the offense nosedived the next three seasons. DeBoer’s season at Indiana and Cignetti’s start represent the best seasons the program has had in terms of total offense going back to at least 2016.
Here’s where Indiana has ranked nationally in total offense over each of the last seven seasons, starting with the year before DeBoer arrived.
- 2018 – No. 52
- 2019 – No. 41 — DeBoer was offensive coordinator
- 2020 – No. 94
- 2021 – No. 124
- 2022 – No. 110
- 2023 – No. 101
- 2024 – No. 4 — Through six games under Curt Cignetti, and offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan
Gus Johnson and Klatt will have the call for FOX at Noon ET Saturday at sold-out Memorial Stadium in Bloomington.
The FOX Big Noon Kickoff pregame show will air live from outside the south end of the stadium beginning at 10 a.m. ET.
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