Given that he clearly colors his hair (he’s old)…says quite a bit about him…definitely has some Saban vibes…confident, cocky probably an ******* but a great coach and in the end that’s what matters
OT: Cignatti at Indiana
- Thread starter RUdad
- Start date
Given that he clearly colors his hair (he’s old)…says quite a bit about him…definitely has some Saban vibes…confident, cocky probably an ******* but a great coach and in the end that’s what matters
Good article about Cig's methods.
Don't fall for "potential" over on-field production; flexibility important , playmaking ability shown over time; good chemistry in locker room; don't overstock a position (QB, WR, DE, CB the most important positions); stack experienced players
"Cignetti is also big on ankle, knee and hip flexibility, which Saban stressed to him when Cignetti served as recruiting coordinator on Saban's first few Alabama coaching staffs.
"It's a start-stop game," Cignetti explained. "You've got to have those for change of direction, but you also need those to create explosive power. It's a game of speed, quickness and explosive power."
According to Williams, coaches "all get enamored about traits," from height to mass to length to first step. Cignetti considers those things, too, but he puts as much or more on how players fit Indiana's schemes, and how they conduct themselves. Indiana hasn't had any major off-field problems involving players since Cignetti's arrival.
How Curt Cignetti's eye for talent has fueled Indiana's CFP rise
www.espn.com
Don't fall for "potential" over on-field production; flexibility important , playmaking ability shown over time; good chemistry in locker room; don't overstock a position (QB, WR, DE, CB the most important positions); stack experienced players
"Cignetti is also big on ankle, knee and hip flexibility, which Saban stressed to him when Cignetti served as recruiting coordinator on Saban's first few Alabama coaching staffs.
"It's a start-stop game," Cignetti explained. "You've got to have those for change of direction, but you also need those to create explosive power. It's a game of speed, quickness and explosive power."
According to Williams, coaches "all get enamored about traits," from height to mass to length to first step. Cignetti considers those things, too, but he puts as much or more on how players fit Indiana's schemes, and how they conduct themselves. Indiana hasn't had any major off-field problems involving players since Cignetti's arrival.
How Curt Cignetti's eye for talent has fueled Indiana's CFP rise
How Curt Cignetti's eye for talent has fueled Indiana's CFP rise
The Hoosiers' roster is filled with different kinds of players, but all had to meet Cignetti's standards.
www.espn.com
Not everyone will click on and read that entire post- here it is:
Curt Cignetti will soon sign a new contract with Indiana that pays him at least $12.5 million per year.
But after digging into the numbers, Cignetti might still be the most undervalued coach in college football (and not for the reason you might think).
We all know what Cignetti has done at IU is remarkable — he turned a perennial cellar-dweller into the national championship favorite just two years after his arrival.
This has transformed IU's athletic department:
• Before the 2025 season even kicked off, ticket revenue for IU's football team had surpassed $13 million.
• Indiana announced a $50 million stadium naming rights deal with Merchants Bank.
• Fundraising has hit a record high, with billionaire IU alum Mark Cuban donating to the athletic department for the first time ever.
But that's the obvious stuff; Cignetti's real impact comes in the admissions office.
IU's football team is essentially a marketing vehicle for the university — 24 million people watched them win the Rose Bowl, 18 million watched them win the Big Ten Championship, and when College Gameday visited Indiana's campus last year, more than 2 million people watched a 3-hour commercial about the school.
This publicity is worth hundreds of millions of dollars and is having a real impact on Indiana's finances.
In 2025 alone, Indiana University set school records for total enrollment (48,626 students), freshman class size (10,127 students), first-year out-of-state students (4,697), and application volume (73,400).
Indiana University Applicants
• 2019-20: 44,178
• 2020-21: 46,623
• 2021-22: 50,159
• 2022-23: 54,345
• 2023-24: 67,731
• 2024-25: 73,400
But since IU can only admit so many students each year, they leverage the additional demand to 1) rotate the composition of their student body toward out-of-state students, and 2) become more selective academically.
Out-of-state students now account for about 50% of IU's total enrollment, with the school admitting a total of 4,697 new out-of-state students in 2025 — roughly 500 more out-of-state students than IU's previous record.
This is an important distinction because out-of-state students pay $30,000 more in annual tuition – $12,000 for Indiana residents versus $42,000 for non-residents.
500 new out-of-state students
x $30,000 tuition difference
–––––––––
= $15 million annually
If you multiply that by a four-year degree, these out-of-state students are worth $60 million more to IU than their in-state counterparts.
And since football success attracts more applicants, IU's admissions office can be more selective.
Indiana's Fall 2025 class had a median high school GPA of 3.94 — the highest in IU admissions history.
This creates a virtuous cycle.
Better sports → more applicants → better students → higher rankings. Higher rankings then lead to even more applicants, and, eventually, higher tuition revenues.
This is exactly what happened at Alabama with Nick Saban, and it's a big reason why Indiana is completely comfortable giving Cignetti new contracts every year.
P.S. If you enjoyed this breakdown, join 135,000 others who learn about the business and money behind sports by reading my 3x weekly newsletter: https://huddleup.substack.com
"Out-of-state students now account for about 50% of IU's total enrollment, with the school admitting a total of 4,697 new out-of-state students in 2025 — roughly 500 more out-of-state students than IU's previous record."
Wow! So much for educating the youth of Indiana at the state university!
Wow! So much for educating the youth of Indiana at the state university!
I posted elsewhere but napkin math says the increase in out of state students has brought in an additional $15M per year
I understand that. $$$s drive everything now. Isn't Rutgers capped at 10%? Maybe that's changed.
Not sure, but you’re correct in that this isn’t exactly how most state university systems were set up to operate
It’s a beautiful campus. All in one place. Good town that revolves around the university. Lots to offer.
Got curious and did a Grok search on other billionaire donors for IU (not limited to Athletics), and this turned up:
- The Simon family (associated with Simon Property Group, a major real estate company founded by Melvin Simon and his brothers; the family has billionaire-level wealth): They are frequently cited as longtime major donors to IU, supporting various initiatives over the years.
- The Cook family (associated with Cook Medical/Cook Group, a medical device company; Carl Cook and family are billionaires): They are also noted as longstanding significant donors to the university.
- Conrad T. Prebys (real estate billionaire and IU alumnus) made a $20 million gift in 2015 to benefit the Kelley School of Business and fund a new university amphitheater.
-----
We have multiple Fortune 500 companies in NJ (Becton Dickinson, J&J, Hertz, and these):
- Prudential Financial, $70.40 billion
- Merck & Co., $64.16 billion
- Bristol Myers Squibb, $48.30 billion
- PBF Energy, $33.11 billion
- Becton Dickinson & Co., $20.17 billion
- Cognizant Technology Solutions, $19.73 billion
- Automatic Data Processing, $19.20 billion
- Kenvue, $15.45 billion
- Avis Budget Group, $11.78 billion
- Burlington Stores, $10.63 billion
- Public Service Enterprise Group, $10.29 billion
- Quest Diagnostic, $9.87 billion
- Campbell’s, $9.63 billion
- Zoetis, $9.25 billion
Rutgers needs to do better in harvesting whales.
15 NJ Companies Make Fortune 500 List for 2025
Fifteen New Jersey companies have been named to the Fortune 500 list of the nation’s largest revenue companies for 2025. The list, released today,
njbia.org
Indiana U. is roughly the same size as Rutgers New Brunswick. Yet the NJ population is roughly 9.7 million and Indiana's is roughly 7.1 million. That gives them room for more OOS students.
Got curious and did a Grok search on other billionaire donors for IU (not limited to Athletics), and this turned up:
Other notable billionaire-level gifts to IU include:
- The Simon family (associated with Simon Property Group, a major real estate company founded by Melvin Simon and his brothers; the family has billionaire-level wealth): They are frequently cited as longtime major donors to IU, supporting various initiatives over the years.
- The Cook family (associated with Cook Medical/Cook Group, a medical device company; Carl Cook and family are billionaires): They are also noted as longstanding significant donors to the university.
IU has received many large donations over time (including from foundations like Lilly Endowment), but the Simons and Cooks stand out as the most consistently mentioned billionaire-affiliated donors beyond Cuban in recent discussions about the university's major backers.These contributions span academics, facilities, and athletics, reflecting IU's broad alumni and philanthropic network.
- Conrad T. Prebys (real estate billionaire and IU alumnus) made a $20 million gift in 2015 to benefit the Kelley School of Business and fund a new university amphitheater.
-----
We have multiple Fortune 500 companies in NJ (Becton Dickinson, J&J, Hertz, and these):
Meanwhile, IU harvests donations from families that moved from Brooklyn to Indianapolis (Simons) and another family that moved from Illinois to Indiana (Cooks).
- Prudential Financial, $70.40 billion
- Merck & Co., $64.16 billion
- Bristol Myers Squibb, $48.30 billion
- PBF Energy, $33.11 billion
- Becton Dickinson & Co., $20.17 billion
- Cognizant Technology Solutions, $19.73 billion
- Automatic Data Processing, $19.20 billion
- Kenvue, $15.45 billion
- Avis Budget Group, $11.78 billion
- Burlington Stores, $10.63 billion
- Public Service Enterprise Group, $10.29 billion
- Quest Diagnostic, $9.87 billion
- Campbell’s, $9.63 billion
- Zoetis, $9.25 billion
Rutgers needs to do better in harvesting whales.
15 NJ Companies Make Fortune 500 List for 2025
Fifteen New Jersey companies have been named to the Fortune 500 list of the nation’s largest revenue companies for 2025. The list, released today,
Equating the size or revenues of a corporation with wealthy individuals is comparing apples and oranges. Individuals don't have costs of goods sold nor businesses physical plants.
You read too much into my post and/or missed the point (which may not have been clear).
The point is there are billion dollar companies located in (and in some cases (J&J and Becton Dickinson) founded in NJ. Willing to bet higher ups and VPs have Rutgers degrees. Rutgers landed a deal with SHI for the football stadium. They partnered with Barnabas for the Performance Center. When we visited Minnesota, there was a 3M Arena.
Why can't Rutgers do the same? They have many opportunities.
Rutgers did the same with Jersey Mike's. Can't do 3M without a hockey team. 3M paid 11.3 mil. for 15 year naming rights. What did Jersey Mike's pay?
You are missing the larger point I was trying to make. There are bigger fish (actually mammals-whales) for Rutgers to land.
Last edited:
Saban was mediocre in the NFL, but compared to the NFL tenures of Urban Meyer, Bobby Petrino, Steve Spurrier, and our own Greg Schiano, he was Vince Lombardi.
The theories are facile. Old team? Well, yeah. Welcome to modern college football. Indiana’s starting lineup for the Peach Bowl detonation of Oregon included five sixth-year veterans, three fifth-year guys, 10 fourth-year players, two in their third year and one in his second.
Being old helps. But if being old decided championships, BYU would have a trophy case full of them. And let’s not pretend other schools aren’t doing the same thing—or at least attempting to. They’re dumb if they’re not scouring the market for experienced, productive players.
If poor Oregon was at an experience disadvantage last week, what about last year when it had sixth-year starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who played in 64 FBS games? What about Stetson Bennett winning national titles at Georgia at ages 24 and 25? What about Indiana’s opposing quarterback in the title game, sixth-year collegian Carson Beck?
The theories are myopic. Billionaire alum Cuban made his first Indiana football donation after Curt Cignetti’s breakthrough debut season, going 11–2 in 2024. He recently told Front Office Sports that he’s made another one, larger this time. But how much money did it take to get a bunch of three-star prospects out of the transfer portal?
The Hoosiers started five James Madison transfers against Oregon, plus a sixth player who was committed to the Dukes before Cignetti left that school for Indiana. There also were transfers from Texas State and Navy in the lineup, plus nine from power-conference programs. The rest have spent their full careers as Hoosiers.
None of them arrived as market-topping free agents, or even close. There are football programs that are the pet projects of billionaires, including those that were waxed in the Orange Bowl and Peach Bowl. This Indiana team is not one of them.
Over the course of time, recruiting rankings have mattered. High school evaluations have gotten better in recent decades, and many of the highest-rated players at that level become the biggest stars in college and in the NFL.
This season, with this team, recruiting rankings don’t matter at all. Indiana is the ultimate revenge of the three-stars. And there is a chance that these kind of aberrations will become more frequent as we move deeper into the paradigm-shifting era of unlimited transfers.
Or there is a chance that Cignetti is simply coaching on a different plane from everyone else. It’s not like he hasn’t kicked the competition’s behinds for the last 15 years at multiple levels. He was 53–17 at Division II IU-Pennsylvania, then 33–14 at the FCS ranks at Elon and James Madison, then 19–4 with the Dukes as an FBS newcomer. Going 26–2 at Indiana is just the next progression.
The algorithms have been altered by Mark Cuban. That's cheating.
That probably accounts for some of the volume but 50% of the total enrollment? I doubt it. They're chasing $$$.
State Population comparisons across the two universities aren’t clean:
*Purdue is also public
*university academic rankings affect application trends for in and out of staters
*NJ and IN population demographics are very different
From the article:
When Curt Cignetti took the Indiana job a couple of years ago, staff members at another power-conference school looked at the James Madison roster to see if they should pillage Cignetti’s now-former team. An assistant coach on that staff said they decided not to pursue any of Cignetti’s players.
“We’re like, ah, he’s not big enough, he’s not tall enough, he’s not this, he’s not that,” the assistant said. “Then they went with him to Indiana.”
“Everyone is already trying to get older and more experienced and everyone is trying to get the best QB — Indiana just did it better.”
“(Indiana) had an older team, but you can’t just go out and get a bunch of senior mercenaries, sign them up and let’s try to go out with the oldest team we can. That doesn’t win football games,” this head coach said.
Of course, before you keep good players, you have to get them. Indiana had money, but it didn’t outspend everyone, and definitely not when Cignetti first arrived two years ago. Therein lies another lesson.
“More than anything, what makes a good head football coach looks really different than it did 10 years ago,” this coach said. “It used to be that you needed to be a great high school evaluator, relationship builder, and good ol’ boy with donors. Now, you better be really good at evaluating college tape and knowing how to price it, all while building relationships with players to help them not leave.”
One of the power-conference assistants said he has coached against teams with overwhelming talent, for which they had no answers. In Indiana’s case, the frustration was more technical. The Hoosiers just never messed up.
I don’t think they’re doing anything schematically that is cutting-edge, but they’re really sound in all they do and they’re fundamentally as well coached as anybody in the country, and they’re consistent.”
That sums up Indiana's success. It wasn't just about shoveling cash at transfers.
But, but, but , but Mark Cuban bought that 2024-25 roster for them with all the money he gave!
And their players were older. Alabama, Oregon, and Miami were at a disadvantage .But, but, but , but Mark Cuban bought that 2024-25 roster for them with all the money he gave!
He hits records in the air like skeet with footballs
Last edited: