This is the fourth in a series of profiles of potential candidates for Indiana’s vacant football head coaching position.
Candidate: Curt Cignetti
Age: 62
Current Position/Tenure: Head coach at James Madison (52-9 in five years)
Record as Head Coach: 119-35
Previous Stops as Head Coach
Indiana University – Pennsylvania
2011 7-3 (5-2, 3rd PSAC West)
2012 12-2 (6-1, t-1st PSAC West) | PSAC Champions | DII Quarterfinals | Final Ranking: 7
2013 9-2 (5-2, 2nd PSAC West) | Final Ranking: 24
2014 6-5 (5-4, 5th PSAC West)
2015 9-3 (6-1, t-1st PSAC West) | DII Second Round | Final Ranking: 19
2016 10-2 (6-1, 2nd PSAC West) | DII Second Round | Final Ranking: 12
IUP Record 53-17 (.757) – 6 seasons
Elon
2017 8-4 (6-2, 3rd CAA) | FCS First Round | Final Ranking: 20
2018 6-5 (4-3, 6th CAA) | FCS First Round
Elon Record 14-9 (.609) – 2 seasons
Notable Facts and Numbers
James Madison is 11-1 this season and ranked No. 24 in the AP poll. They are awaiting their bowl destination.
Cignetti led JMU through its transition into the Football Bowl Subdivision and the Sun Belt Conference.
In five seasons with the Dukes, he’s compiled a 52-9 record with a 31-4 mark in conference play between the Sun Belt and Colonial Athletic Association. Prior to JMU’s jump to the FBS level, Cignetti guided JMU to three straight CAA championships and FCS playoff berths, reaching the 2019 national championship and FCS semifinals in both 2020 and 2021.
An offensive-minded assistant coach at the FBS level for 27 seasons, Cignetti was an original member of Nick Saban’s first coaching staff at Alabama, filling the role of recruiting coordinator and wide receivers coach for 2007 through 2010.
Cignetti joined the staff at Alabama after spending seven seasons (2000-06) as the recruiting coordinator at North Carolina State while also coaching tight ends from 2000-02 and 2005-06 and quarterbacks during the 2003 and 2004 campaigns. NC State qualified for five bowl games during that time, including the 2002 Gator Bowl, when the team set a school record with 11 victories. One of his last recruits before moving to Alabama was quarterback Russell Wilson, who played at NC State before moving on to Wisconsin as a senior.
Cignetti played quarterback at West Virginia and graduated in 1982.
His father, Frank Cignetti, is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. Saban coached under Frank Cignetti before later employing Curt at Alabama. Curt’s younger brother, Frank, Jr., was most recently an offensive coordinator at Pitt and worked in the NFL with the Packers, Giants, Rams, 49ers, Saints and Chiefs.
Curt Cignetti’s Assistant Coaching Experience
1983-1984 Graduate Assistant, Pitt
1985 Quarterbacks/Wide Receivers, Davidson
1986-1988 Quarterbacks, Rice
1989-1992 Quarterbacks, Temple
1993-1999 Quarterbacks/Tight Ends, Pitt
2000-2006 Recruiting Coordinator/Quarterbacks/Tight Ends, NC State
2007-2010 Recruiting Coordinator/Wide Receivers, Alabama
Why It Might Work
Looking at Cignetti’s resume brings former IU offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer to mind. The guy just wins everywhere he goes. And while he hasn’t been a head coach at the Power Five level, he has meaningful experience at that level and saw first hand how Nick Saban got things rolling at Alabama. His experience as a recruiting coordinator at Alabama should come in handy as well.
Why It Might Not Work
The biggest questions are whether Cignetti can win in a highly competitive Big Ten, and whether he can successfully navigate name, image and likeness and the transfer portal. Both NIL and the portal are relevant in his current role, but they take on much greater significance at the Power Five level. There would questions about his age and how long he’d want to continue coaching.
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