Indiana coach Curt Cignetti has moved quickly to bolster his all-conquering roster that led the Hoosiers to their first national championship in January after a flawless season. Cignetti continued with his blueprint of targeting tried-and-tested players in the transfer portal for his Hoosiers team, which lost a lot of talent to the NFL Draft.
The Hoosiers will have a target on their back both in the competitive Big Ten and the country as teams try to take them down after they humiliated most of their opponents in one of the most dominant seasons in modern college football history.
Cignetti Moves Past National Championship Win
During Wednesday’s segment of the “Triple Option” podcast, Cignetti had a mic drop moment when he revealed his plans for the national championship trophy that was in his office.
“It’s sitting about five feet in front of me,” Cignetti said. “I’ll make sure they get ’em out of here as quick as possible. I don’t wanna look at ’em too long and get soft.”
Get Hard. Stay Hard.
Coach Cignetti doesn’t want to be gazing at those trophies in his office too long.Coach is on today’s show that premieres at 11 am ET. https://t.co/WyNCs3t5Qg pic.twitter.com/MoIDB9DeEG
— The Triple Option (@3xOptionShow) February 4, 2026
Indiana will be one of the most scrutinized programs next season due to its eccentric coach, with fans, coaches, and analysts curious to see whether Cignetti can build a dynasty in Bloomington like his mentor, Nick Saban, did in Tuscaloosa with the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Cignetti’s Indiana Hailed As Standard of College Football
Cignetti arrived in Bloomington with Indiana as the losingest program in college football and turned them into a national championship-winning juggernaut in just two seasons. Cignetti’s success at Indiana has raised the stakes for new coaches at low and mid-level programs.
During Tuesday’s segment of the “Andy & Ari On3” podcast, new Kentucky Wildcats coach Will Stein hailed Cignetti’s Indiana as the new standard of college football.
“You guys have probably seen it on Twitter/X, Curt Cignetti’s first game and (the stadium) is like not even that full, you know? And then he just goes in there and wins. And so they’re definitely the standard of college football as of now and it’s exciting for all of us to fight to get to that place,” Stein said.
“Look at Indiana, what they were able to do, they had an older roster, they were coached as good as any team I’ve ever gone against, and they had elite players. They have elite players and an elite scheme, and they’re coached extremely well. That’s what everybody’s striving for. That was the top of the sphere this year.”
After losing 10 players, the Hoosiers brought in 17 players and were picked No. 13 in On3’s transfer portal rankings, with quarterback Josh Hoover, one of the most important pieces to replace the Heisman-winning Fernando Mendoza, who ignited their historic season.
