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Curt Cignetti Continues History-Making Run With Another Prestigious Award
Curt Cignetti continues to make history.
On Wednesday, Indiana’s head coach was named the Walter Camp National Coach of the Year for the second season in a row. He is the first coach in history to win the award in back-to-back seasons.
Cignetti was the obvious choice to win the award in 2025. His Hoosiers are 13-0, ranked No. 1, and beat then-No. 1 Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game on Saturday. His squad is the only undefeated FBS team remaining and is the top seed in the College Football Playoff.
It could be argued that Cignetti’s team has the two most impressive wins of the 2025 season as well. On October 11, the Hoosiers marched into Autzen Stadium and beat then-No. 3 Oregon 30-20. On Saturday, they beat the defending national champion Buckeyes, who had won 16 straight games.
Indiana was balanced all season, which is the sign of great coaching. The Hoosiers finished the regular season ranked No. 2 in scoring defense (10.8 points per game) and fifth in scoring offense (41.9 points per game). They were also eighth in total offense (472.8 yards per game) and sixth in total defense (257.2 yards per game).
Cignetti is now 24-2 in his two seasons at Indiana, in what has been one of the most remarkable turnarounds in sports history. Before he arrived in Bloomington, the Hoosiers held the record for most FBS losses ever and the worst Big Ten winning percentage. Now they look like a national power.
Indiana rewarded Cignetti’s work with a massive, eight-year contract extension in October. On Wednesday, he was rewarded with a coveted national honor for the second season in a row.
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Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024. Phillips also co-hosts The Assembly Call Podcast about Indiana Hoosiers basketball and previously worked at Bleacher Report. He is a proud San Diego native and a graduate of Indiana University’s journalism program.