There truly could not have been a better hire that Indiana could have made in 2023 than Curt Cignetti. The Hoosiers took a chance on the then-James Madison coach, hoping that he could bring his history of success to Bloomington.
Cignetti has not only brought that success, but even more with him to Bloomington and somehow turned Indiana into a football school. In his first season with the Hoosiers, Cignetti led his team to an 11-2 record with an early exit in the first round of the College Football Playoff at the hands of Notre Dame, who lost to the eventual National Champions.
Now in year two, Cignetti has led the Hoosiers to a perfect 12-0 record with a huge Big Ten Championship win over Ohio State. His team is ranked No. 1 for the first time in program history heading into the College Football Playoff. All of that has led Cignetti to be named the AP Coach of the Year for the second year in a row.
No coach has ever won the award in back-to-back years.
Curt Cignetti is racking up Coach of the Year awards like Thanos with infinity stones
Not only did Cignetti win the AP Coach of the Year award, was he was also voted the AFCA National Coach of the Year for the second year in a row. This goes along with also being named the Big Ten Coach of the Year.
Indiana’s Curt Cignetti repeats as AFCA National Coach of the Year! 🏆#CFBPlayoff x #NeverDaunted pic.twitter.com/xhq6GtZiJm
— College Football Playoff (@CFBPlayoff) December 15, 2025
This award is given out by the American Football Coaches Association and given to a coach at the FBS and FCS levels. Cignetti is proving yet again that he is a winner, and all people have to do is Google him if they want to know what kind of coach he is.
Now, Cignetti probably isn't paying too much attention to all of this as he is getting his team ready to compete after their first round bye in the College Football Playoff after Christmas.