Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti reacts during the second half of the College Football Playoff national championship game against Miami, Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo\/Marta Lavandier)<\/small><\/p>\n
2026-07-30T21:26:54Z<\/p>\n
CHICAGO (AP) \u2014 Indiana coach Curt Cignetti says he\u2019s \u201cstalking complacency\u201d as he makes sure there\u2019s no championship hangover now that he\u2019s orchestrated one of the most remarkable turnarounds<\/a><\/span> in college football history.<\/p>\n Cignetti took over a program that had gone 9-27 the three years before his arrival and led it to College Football Playoff appearances in each of his first two seasons, including a 2025 national title<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n He wants his program to maintain the same edge it carried while working its way up.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a way of doing things,\u201d Cignetti sad. \u201cWe\u2019ve got guys that have been together, and all we do is win.\u201d<\/p>\n Indiana\u2019s stunning two-year run under Cignetti already has allowed the traditional Big Ten also-ran to shed its status as the Bowl Subdivision program with the most losses in history. That dubious honor now belongs to conference rival Northwestern.<\/p>\n The Hoosiers obviously have bigger long-term goals than that.<\/p>\n They want to keep it going without Heisman Trophy-winning<\/a><\/span> quarterback Fernando Mendoza,<\/a><\/span> who went to the Las Vegas Raiders with the top pick<\/a><\/span> in this year\u2019s draft after his lone season at Indiana. He was one of a school-record eight players drafted.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to make sure that we keep the same blueprint as last year going into this year, and that includes maintaining the same work ethic,\u201d offensive tackle Carter Smith said.<\/p>\n Indiana did a remarkable job of restocking its roster by getting one of the nation\u2019s top collections of transfer portal<\/a><\/span> talent. Indiana\u2019s list of 18 transfer newcomers includes former TCU quarterback Josh Hoover<\/a><\/span> and ex-Michigan State wide receiver Nick Marsh.<\/p>\n Marsh got an early indication of Cignetti\u2019s no-nonsense approach, as the former Spartans player showed up for a spring practice in gold cleats and got criticized by his new coach. Cignetti has since praised the work habits of Marsh, who caught 100 passes for 1,311 yards and nine touchdowns over the last two seasons.<\/p>\n