It’s interesting how quickly one particular narrative changed early in Curt Cignetti’s tenure at Indiana.
In the beginning, many were asking how this guy thinks he can win in the Big Ten with a bunch of G6 transfers.
And as the 2024 season unfolded, that quickly became, sure he’s winning, because he brought his whole team with him.
Desperate to find holes in a program that has gone 27-2 over the last two seasons, the outside narrative is shifting yet again.
Just one of the original 13 James Madison to Indiana transfers remain as Cignetti prepares for the 2026 campaign, his third in Bloomington. Yes, All-Big Ten defensive tackle Tyrique Tucker is the lone remaining player who came with Cignetti from JMU.
But here’s why that’s completely irrelevant in 2026.
There was nothing magical about the letters “JMU” or the uniforms over in Harrisonburg, Va. No, the magic happened on the sidelines and in the locker room. The magic is Cignetti’s player identification, day-to-day system, teaching, scheme and culture.
Yes, the JMU players and coaches who came over eased the transition in 2024. But inasmuch as that mattered in 2024, it returns in 2026.
All three of Cignetti’s coordinators are back this fall.
Defensive coordinator and linebacker coach Bryant Haines is going into his 12th season with Cignetti. OC and wide receiver coach Mike Shanahan is going into year 11. And this will be special teams coordinator and tight end coach Grant Cain’s eighth year with the IU head coach.
All of the other assistants have been with Cignetti for multiple years too: RB coach John Miller (going into year 6), QB coach Tino Sunseri (5), DT coach Pat Kuntz (5), OL coach Bob Bostad (3), DE coach Buddha Williams (3), Safeties coach Ola Adams (3), and CB coach Rod Ojong (3).
Those third-year assistants tell a story in themselves. It wasn’t just staff continuity from JMU to Indiana either. Cignetti’s evaluation skills extend beyond players. And new pieces can be successfully integrated. Remember 2025 QB coach Chandler Whitmer?
As for the players, the “JMU guys” are now the “IU guys.”
Some of those 13 JMU transfers included players who had only been with Cignetti for two years or less when they arrived at IU. Players whose names you might know, like Aiden Fisher, D’Angelo Ponds, Elijah Sarratt, Tyrique Tucker and Ty Son Lawton.
And guess what?
In 2026, Cignetti returns a whole bunch of players who have been with him for one to two years, along with a bunch of proven veteran transfers. You might be familiar with that formula.
Back in 2026 are prominent multi-year Cignetti guys like Carter Smith, Drew Evans, Bray Lynch, Khobie Martin, Charlie Becker, Mario Landino, Tucker, Daniel Ndukwe, Isaiah Jones, Rolijah Hardy, Jamari Sharpe, and Amare Ferrell.
And arriving is a consensus national top-5 transfer class, including a veteran quarterback.
See the pattern?
So yes, the 13 original JMU transfers are program legends. But no, the program won’t tank without them.
If you really want to worry about who or what might be missing from Indiana going forward, it’s this: Will these 16-0 national champions still have a chip on their shoulders? Will they still feel slighted with something to prove? Can they find the edge on an every day basis? And as the recruiting rankings rise on the roster, will a sense of entitlement come too?
Cignetti spent three years with Nick Saban at Alabama, and he was on the national championship staff in 2009.
But Cignetti never saw the next steps after the title. Saban would go on to win five more titles over the next 10 season.
That’s Cignetti’s greatest challenge at this moment — maintaining the culture, the mindset, and the day-to-day approach — all with a target on his back, and with players never more at risk of becoming complacent.
As you might expect, that is also Cignetti’s wheelhouse. Maintaining the culture has always been top of mind, and probably never more than right now. You might have heard he laid into his top transfer wide receiver Nick Marsh for wearing gold cleats to the first spring practice in late March.
There’s no guarantee Cignetti will keep things rolling after reaching the top of mountain, but there’s no reason to doubt him at this point.
“Very few teams have done it back to back,” Cignetti said on the Triple Option podcast.
“It’s all about us still. Are we meeting the standard on a daily basis? My message, the things I believe in are not going to change. My message to the team might change daily based on what I see and how we’re doing. Usually, if we’re doing pretty good, I may not even talk to the team after practice. But if I don’t like what I see, I am going to talk to them. Now, it’s not going to be long, but they’re going to understand what I’m saying.”
And in 2026, Cignetti still has plenty of players and coaches who understand precisely what he’s saying.
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