The Indiana Coaching Search is nearing its end. It was just three days ago that the Hoosiers fired Tom Allen after a dismal 3-9 season. A search that has included top assistants from around the country. Names that have been circulating include Mike Hart, Paul Chryst, Tom Herman and others. Today, an important name has emerged. Curt Cignetti, who has led JMU to a historic season, has emerged as a candidate for Indiana.
Under the direction of Allen, the Hoosiers offense had become one of the worst in any of the Power 5 conferences. That’s not a winning formula in any conference and Indiana has to get better if they want to compete in an expanding Big Ten. According to football scoop, The leaders at Indiana have been informing candidates that they “were prioritizing people with significant head-coaching experience.”
When looking for said experience, two key names come to mind for Indiana: JMU’s Curt Cignetti (13 years) and Toledo’s Jason Candle (8 years). The former also has experience in the Power 5. He was an assistant coach and won a championship under Nick Saban at Alabama.
Many reports have shown that Curt Cignetti may be moving up the board for Indiana, the most notable is the report from IndyStar reporter Zach Osterman. He’s reported that Indiana’s Athletic Director Scott Dolson wants to move fast. Osterman also broke the news of Allen being fired.
Cignetti has been phenomenal at every stop in his coaching career. He’s been at James Madison for the last five years where he has led the Dukes to a 52-9 record. He led them to the FCS National Championship in his inaugural season. The 2022 season marked the program’s first year at the FBS level and nothing has changed. After going 8-3 a season ago, JMU is currently 11-1. Over the past two years, they’ve been in and out of the top 25, ranking as high as 18 this season.
It’ll be interesting to see who Indiana ultimately chooses, but if they get Cignetti, they could be a team on the rise within the next couple of years. He currently has a buyout in his contract a $1.2 Million.
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