“It’s pretty simple, I win…Google Me”. And with that statement, a legend was born. Curt Cignetti is the dictionary definition of confident and arrogant. At 64 years old, he has taken a perennial basketball program and turned Hoosier Country into a football powerhouse and destination. In only two seasons, he is on the cusp of a national championship.
A win against Oregon and then either Miami or Ole Miss will give Indiana their first football championship. This program was literally non-existent before he came along. He is a master of the player portal and possibly the best judge of talent and scouting in the sport.
He is a 5x conference coach of the year, and 2x national coach of the year, and his career record is 144-37. He’s been in the game since the 80s but got his first major shot in 2019 with James Madison, and after five successful seasons, moved on to Indiana.
He can now also add, head coach of a Heisman Trophy winner, to his resume…with Fernando Mendoza winning the award this year. If the two can win these next two games, both could…and should ride off into the sunset together, into the NFL.
The Las Vegas Raiders hold the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL draft, and desperately need a QB…and they need to make a splash. Snagging the Heisman Trophy winner will definitely make that splash. But why not make it a package deal? A national championship for Cignetti will leave him with nowhere to go but up to the NFL.
It will be impossible to improve upon his success at Indiana, and short of going to be a bigger and better program, there is only one mountain left to conquer. At his age, he doesn’t have another 20 years left to move up the ladder. He probably has one more job left in him, and while it could be to a different NCAA team, the better move would be to go to the NFL.
Aside from having the No. 1 pick and needing a QB, the Raiders also need an HC after firing Pete Carroll. Young QBs often take some time to develop and get comfortable in the league. What better way to make the young man feel comfortable than to bring along his college HC?
Cignetti is a master of the NIL portal; he’ll surely be able to master NFL free agency and the salary cap. As a current college HC, he may know some of these NFL players better than existing NFL head coaches do.
And as far as swagger and intensity, I guarantee that Tom Brady loves Cignetti. For a team that has been mired in mediocrity for the better part of two decades, what do they have to lose? They should be bold…after all, the team is in Vegas, what better town for a team to roll the dice.
How much worse could Cignetti do, compared to what they’ve had? If they are inclined to take Mendoza…and they should, it makes all the sense in the world to sign Cignetti.
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