Curt Cignetti Makes History as Back-to-Back AP College Football Coach of the Year
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Indiana University’s Curt Cignetti has cemented his place in college football history, earning The Associated Press Coach of the Year award for the second consecutive year. This unprecedented achievement marks the first time a coach has received the honor in back-to-back seasons since the award’s inception in 1998.
Cignetti, 64, joins an exclusive group of coaching legends – Brian Kelly, Gary Patterson, and Nick Saban – as only the fourth coach to win the AP Coach of the Year award twice. His success with the Hoosiers has been nothing short of remarkable, transforming a historically struggling program into a national powerhouse.
Since arriving at Indiana following a successful tenure at James Madison of the Championship Subdivision, Cignetti has compiled an impressive 24-2 record. He inherited a program widely considered the “losingest” in major college football, and in just two seasons, has led the Hoosiers to unprecedented heights. Last year, Indiana achieved a 10-win season, climbed as high as No. 5 in the AP Top 25 poll, and secured a berth in the College Football Playoff.
A Perfect Season and Championship Glory
This year, Cignetti and the Hoosiers surpassed even those accomplishments. The team finished the season with a perfect 13-0 record, capturing the Big Ten championship – their first since 1967. Indiana also reached No. 1 in the AP poll for the first time in program history and earned the top seed in the College Football Playoff.
Adding to the program’s historic season, quarterback Fernando Mendoza, under Cignetti’s guidance, became Indiana’s first-ever Heisman Trophy winner and was named the AP Player of the Year.
The Coach of the Year award was a landslide victory for Cignetti, receiving 47 of the 52 first-place votes from a nationwide panel of media members who cover college football. Texas Tech’s Joey McGuire and Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea each received two votes, while Virginia’s Tony Elliott garnered one.
From Historic Losers to National Contenders
The magnitude of Cignetti’s turnaround at Indiana is difficult to overstate. As recently as 2022, the Hoosiers became the first Bowl Subdivision program to reach 700 all-time losses. Entering the 2025 season with 714 losses, they were surpassed by Northwestern (717) for the dubious distinction of having the most losses in FBS history.
However, Cignetti has completely rewritten the narrative. Prior to his arrival, Indiana had never won more than nine games in a single season. Now, the Hoosiers have achieved double-digit wins for the second consecutive year and completed a regular season undefeated for the first time ever.
“It’s another step we need to take as a program,” Cignetti stated after the Big Ten championship victory over Ohio State. “It’s a great win, obviously. And we’re going to go in the playoffs as the No. 1 seed. And a lot of people probably thought that wasn’t possible. But when you get the right people and you have a plan and they love one another and play for one another and they commit, anything’s possible.”
Cignetti openly acknowledged the program’s ambition to compete with the nation’s elite, specifically Ohio State, both in recruiting and on the field. The 13-10 win over the Buckeyes in the championship game served as a powerful statement of Indiana’s ascent.
. The Hoosiers’ journey under Curt Cignetti is a testament to the power of vision, dedication, and a commitment to building a winning culture.
