The Hoosiers just don't blink. They have been a machine in the postseason, drilling
Alabama 38-3 in the Rose Bowl and Oregon 56-22 in the Peach Bowl. They rank in the top two nationally in both offense and defense, the epitome of an elite, balanced team. They rarely make mistakes, committing the nation's second-fewest penalties, and they're fundamentally sound to the point of irritation, leading to only a few missed assignments and tackles.
He has a traveling squad of like-minded loyalists who have chips on their shoulder and are obsessed with being prepared for any possible scenario.
His top two deputies, offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan and defensive coordinator Bryant Haines, have been with him for more than a decade as Cignetti went from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) to Elon to James Madison and, finally, Indiana. Five on-field coaches have been with Cignetti at multiple stops, plus strength and conditioning coach Derek Owings.
And, in Monday's
College Football Playoff national championship against Miami, two former proteges will even be on the
opposing sideline trying to deny Cignetti college football immortality. Miami defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman (JMU) and running backs coach Matt Merritt (JMU/Elon) both spent multiple seasons with Cignetti.
Cignetti possessed an elite football mind and he could see it blooming in young coaches. He had that rare ability to differentiate between the deep-sea divers and the snorkelers, the guys who actually lived and breathed football versus the ones who liked what it could do for them.
Cignetti has rewarded that loyalty over and over again. From once making $6,000, Haines and Shanahan are now two of the highest-paid assistant coaches in college football. As Cignetti got things rolling and the young deputies proved worthy, he'd give them more and more responsibilities. He actually listened to his coaches too, and made them feel valued when they came up with good ideas. He liked promoting from within, though sometimes there was a can't-miss external coach he had to have.
Like Corey Hetherman.
"It's the same thing that he finds in the transfer portal with recruits -- it's production over potential," Haines explained. "He hired Corey Hetherman as the defensive coordinator because Cory was leading Maine, and Maine's defense was incredible, he had produced at Maine. Those things matter to Coach Cignetti.
Once Cignetti gets a keeper like Haines in the building, he treats him well. His short practices are the stuff of legend now -- when IUP was rolling they were as short as 60 minutes, according to Tortorella -- and he does his best not to grind his staff into dust. Cignetti is a film freak, always breaking down tape and looking for an edge, and that flows throughout the organization. But he's never been the kind of guy to stay at the office until 2 a.m. just to prove he's working harder.
He pushed his staff to be efficient and organized, but to still try to have a life outside football. When things slowed down, he'd like to golf with some of his assistant coaches. If he didn't think a coach needed to still be in the office, he'd tell him to go home.
It's one reason why Haines turned down programs like Ohio State and Penn State a year ago. It's a reason why Shanahan turned down Group of Five head coaching opportunities this cycle. The coaches are well-compensated into the millions, they know exactly what Cignetti expects from them (and vice versa) and they are winning in a way no one thought possible at Indiana. It has temporarily limited the growth of Cignetti's coaching tree, but it's a matter of when, not if, the two Indiana coordinators become head coaches.
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