Indiana Coach Curt Cignetti Credits Nick Saban for Championship Mindset

Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti credits early lessons from Nick Saban for his success with the Hoosiers.

Cignetti's two-year run in Bloomington has put Indiana in the national championship conversation. He arrived to a program short on resources and interest, but orchestrated a quick turnaround. Five years ago, such talk would have seemed laughable.

In a recent interview with Josh Pate, Cignetti pointed to Saban as key to his development. During Saban's first year at Alabama in 2007, Cignetti joined him on a speaking tour as part of the original staff. Saban shared his philosophy of process-oriented thinking, which reshaped Cignetti's views.

"I went with him in '07, part of his original staff. I just learned so much," Cignetti said. Saban had 13 or 14 years as a head coach by then and laid out his approach clearly.

Cignetti noted Saban's detailed plans from day one with the Crimson Tide. "After one year with coach [Saban] I felt like I had learned more about how to run a program than the previous 28 as an assistant."

The daily urgency stuck with him most. "Every day was 4th-and-1 with coach Saban," Cignetti said. That mindset fought complacency and kept the edge needed to excel.

Cignetti's ability to apply those teachings sets him apart. Many ex-Saban assistants have had middling head coaching careers. His success at a non-traditional power like Indiana makes it more notable.

Saban retired in early 2024, leaving a void in college football.