'Improve the brand of Indiana football.' IU introduces Curt Cignetti as new coach.
Indiana football introduced Curt Cignetti as the school's 30th head coach Friday in Bloomington.
Cignetti was 52-9 at James Madison, and the Dukes are 19-4 across their first two seasons in the Football Bowl Subdivision, including 11-1 this year, the best record in the Sun Belt.
IU President Pam Whitten and Athletic Director Scott Dolson also spoke at the news conference. Here's what was said as the new Hoosiers coach was introduced.
Whitten on Scott Dolson: "I’m so impressed with the way he ran this search. His thoroughness was really, truly extraordinary." #iufb
— Zach Osterman (@ZachOsterman) December 1, 2023
Dolson: "I want to thank Pete Yonkman and the Hoosiers For Good and Hoosiers Connect collectives. It’s a new day in college athletics, and the way the donors have stepped up for us is a big, big part of it." #iufb
— Zach Osterman (@ZachOsterman) December 1, 2023
Dolson: "An experienced, successful head coach. That was really important to us." #iufb
— Zach Osterman (@ZachOsterman) December 1, 2023
Interesting. Dolson says IU prioritized coaches who had worked with quarterbacks. Wanted experience, recruiting success and player development, but QBs experience was a bonus. #iufb
— Zach Osterman (@ZachOsterman) December 1, 2023
Signature quote from Cignetti's opening remarks. #iufbpic.twitter.com/pDxwzMGwe3
— Zach Osterman (@ZachOsterman) December 1, 2023
More Curt Cignetti quotes:
"It's a job that got my juices flowing."
"We are going to improve the brand... there will be no self-imposed limitations."
"There's one leader and he's standing here...everybody follows that lead, that's one of the keys to success, everyone thinking alike."
"I thought it was a tremendous challenge in a great football conference. The type of challenge that I’ve already succeeded at once before."
"It's football and family for me, that's it."
"It's a top down approach. It starts with me."
"It's a process, and it's a way you go about doing things... It's wanting to be great versus wanting to be normal. Normal is average... There’s no problem with average, except in my business. In my business, average is the enemy."
Cignetti on QB development: "The proof’s in the pudding. We had four quarterbacks at JMU in five years, they all had their major skeptics going into the season, and all four of them were conference player of the year." #iufb
— Zach Osterman (@ZachOsterman) December 1, 2023
Curt Cignetti on transfer portal
"You have to engage with the portal. Because everybody's turning over 30% of their roster now. If you don't, you have no chance. But you build it with high school guys."
"Our best transfers were from FCS schools, two quarterbacks from G5 schools...my worst transfers at James Madison were Power Five guys."
Curt Cignetti on recruiting
"I have never, ever looked at a star. You really think some guys that puts stars on kids knows what he’s talking about, compared to coaches who are watching hours and hours of tape on kids?"
Cignetti says he's "more into production than potential" when it comes to recruiting. #iufb
— Zach Osterman (@ZachOsterman) December 1, 2023
"There's going to be people in this conference that have more resources than we do, but that's not detrimental."
Cignetti says "90 percent" of his time between now and JMU's bowl game will be focused on Indiana. Plan is still to coach the Dukes in that bowl, but says the plan might evolve if James Madison moves quickly in hiring a new coach and staff. Either way, focus is on IU. #iufb
— Zach Osterman (@ZachOsterman) December 1, 2023
"This is a tremendous institution and it's time has come to make some noise and make a statement, and we're going to work everyday to make it happen."
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: What IU football coach Curt Cignetti said during press conference
