It’s difficult to get college coaches to speak candidly on much of anything.
That’s why we like Athlon’s annual tradition of obtaining anonymous quotes from coaches from around the Big Ten containing candid thoughts about other programs in the league.
It’s bulletin board material — without a name attached.
What do Big Ten football coaches think about Indiana and second-year head coach Curt Cignetti?
The quotes below come from Athlon Sports’ 2025 College Football Preview print magazine. Order your copy today online, or pick one up at retail racks and newsstands nationwide.
Here are the four quotes Athlon published regarding Indiana:
“Maybe the biggest culture change at a program in the history of the sport. IU is a case study for putting your money where your mouth is. They invested heavily in NIL and support. Cig [Curt Cignetti] is a fantastic coach, obviously, but he wouldn’t come without that commitment. That’s how they succeeded immediately.”
“I think they’ve improved the O-line enough to stay in games against top-level, physical defenses.”
“They’re leaning on the portal again in the secondary because they’re still a ways off on true, top-end depth for this league.”
“Everyone is asking who the next Indiana is, but there’s no real reason why it isn’t Indiana again. Will they win as many games? Probably not, but they’re going to be in the hunt for a playoff spot again.”
Athlon publishes quotes like this around this same time each year. They’ve generally provided a fairly insightful look at what is to come.
There was cautious optimism about Indiana in Cignetti’s first year, and clear signals IU had hit rock bottom in 2023.
Below is what was said ahead of the past two seasons.
AHEAD OF THE 2024 SEASON…
“There’s a lot of talk about the program for the first time since any of us can remember.”
“Cig [Curt Cignetti] is a really good hire; it shows that the school wants to be competitive and respectable in football. They’re taking football seriously in NIL, too.”
“They brought in a few studs from James Madison, and they’ve worked the portal well.”
“The competition level in this league is still above them, but they should look more talented, especially on offense. The MAC quarterback [Kurtis Rourke] is pretty solid.”
“If you’re setting reasonable Year 1 expectations, I’d look for them to build an offensive identity to help recruiting.”
AHEAD OF THE 2023 SEASON…
“Probably the most uncertain program in the league going into the season. They have to win some big games to keep Tom [Allen] around, and that doesn’t look likely with the roster they’ve got.”
“Culturally, this is a hard place to win at, stay winning and make the ‘football’ changes needed to keep it going. Plus, Tom is a ‘bullhorn’ kind of coach, lots of hollering, and that as a trend seems to have waned a lot in recent years.”
“They were really high on Connor Bazelak last season, and now’s he at Bowling Green. That tells you a lot about the state of the program.”
“They’ve been working a lot in the portal and losing a lot too. That’s not a good sign.”
“They aren’t making enough noise in high school recruiting. If you’re going to stay consistent at a school like this, you can’t rely on the portal. You need to be a development system, and they haven’t pulled in enough talent to do that.”
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