The Dallas Cowboys seem to be playing with fire right now, letting head coach Mike McCarthy go, but let's face it, we all like seeing the Cowboys struggle a little bit. However, with the head coach position officially open, will owner and general manager Jerry Jones look to the college ranks for his next head coach?
It seems like that is exactly what Jones is doing, and right now, the reports seem to be pointing toward Deion Sanders as Jones' pick, but Sanders could choose to stay in Colorado. If that is the case, could the Cowboys come sniffing around Indiana and Curt Cignetti and try and pry him away from the Hoosiers?
It would make sense if they did because looking at Cignetti's resume is reason enough for him to be getting attention from NFL executives. Cignetti has had a winning culture everywhere he has gone, adn that includes his first season with Indiana in 2024.
Cignetti began his head coaching career at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and spent six seasons with the Crimson Hawks. When Cignetti came in, IUP had just gone 4-10 in their last 14 conference games, but in his first season, after starting off 1-2, Cignetti led the Crimson Hawks to wins in six of their final seven games, finishing the season 7-3. The following season, IUP won the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference title and ended the season 12-2.
Following his success at IUP, Cignetti accepted the head coaching position at Elon in December 2016 and spent his first season with the Phoenix in 2017. Elon had six consecutive losing seasons before hiring Cignetic and a 4-120 conference record. In his first season with the Phoenix, Cignetti led his team to an eight-game win streak and their first NCAA Playoff berth since 2009. Cignetti, in his next season, also led his team in a 27-24 win over James Madison, snapping their 22-game Colonial Atheltic Association win streak and 19-game home win streak.
After beating them in 2018, Cignetti then took the head coaching position at James Madison in 2019 and led the Dukes to a 14-2 record in his first season. In 2020, the season was very different due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, but Cignetti still led his team to a 7-1 record and in 20221, a 12-2 record as well as announcing their move from the CAA to the Sun Belt Conference and the FBS level. In his first season at the FBS level, the Dukes finished 8-3 on the season and earned a share in the Sun Belt East Division title.
Then all Indiana fans know the story from there. Cignetti was hired at Indiana and the legendary coach led the Hoosiers, a school that has never been known for football, to an 11-2 record with a College Football Playoff appearance in his first season and won AP Coach of the Year.
Cignetti has never had a losing season in his career as a head coach, so if the Cowboys don't come asking about Cignetti, other NFL teams like the Bears, the Saints, or the Raiders could be. However, Cignetti may want to stay in the college ranks a little longer and see what more he can do with the Hoosiers.