The 2025 college football season has revolved around head coach firings, but the Indiana Hoosiers have taken the opposite route by securing Curt Cignetti for the long run. They finalized an eight-year contract extension with Cignetti, keeping him in Bloomington through 2033.
The deal was necessary, as Cignetti has been linked to multiple schools. Meanwhile, despite Indiana’s unbeaten record so far this season, former college football coach Nick Saban isn’t convinced of the Hoosiers’ potential.
Nick Saban Snubbed Curt Cignetti’s Indiana
In his Friday appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Saban heavily raved about the Texas A&M Aggies’ quarterback Marcel Reed.
“He really wasn’t up there for Heisman odds, and now it feels like he damn near might run away with it,” Saban said. “He’s playing great, and I would say the two teams at this point in the season that’s kind of separated themselves from the pack to me are Ohio State and Texas A&M.
“And you know, Marcel Reed has been a big part of that. He’s improved as a passer. He’s got better receivers. He’s got better skill guys to play with them outside. They can run the ball a little bit and this guy can beat you with his feet.”
Reed has totaled 1,972 passing yards and 17 touchdowns, along with 349 rushing yards and six more scores this season. So Saban’s praise for him isn’t surprising, but what stood out was his omission of Indiana from his list of top teams, despite the Hoosiers’ perfect season.
Indiana climbed to a program-best No. 2 in the AP Poll after starting 8-0. The Hoosiers’ key wins include a 30-20 road win over then–top-5 Oregon on October 11 and a 63-10 blowout over top-10 Illinois on September 20.
Saban’s comments might reflect his long-standing ties to the Southeastern Conference, where he previously coached at LSU and Alabama, potentially showing some SEC bias.
Meanwhile, McAfee and his crew then began chanting “hoo hoo, hoo hoo, Hoosiers” to remind Saban that Cignetti’s team deserved to be in that same conversation as Texas A&M, and Saban had a sharp response:
“I should have known better.”
However, Saban indeed praised Indiana’s recent surge in the show.
“I think that’s why you see Vandy, Indiana – places who have not historically been traditionally great jobs, actually having a lot of success now, because they have managed the external factors very well to bring it in house so that they can function effectively,” Saban said.
Meanwhile, Cignetti holds a 19-2 overall record through a season and a half with the Hoosiers, leading them to a College Football Playoff appearance in 2024. The team is ranked No. 2 nationally in the PFSN CFB Playoff Meter.