Curt Cignetti Gives Indiana Football Offseason Update

Curt Cignetti spoke to local media Wednesday afternoon to talk about Indiana's transfer portal additions, high school recruiting and how the Hoosiers are preparing for the start of spring football practice. Here's everything he said.

Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti speaks Wednesday at Memorial Stadium. / Indiana Athletics

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Indiana football staff has been busy building the 2025 roster in recent weeks, and head coach Curt Cignetti met with reporters Wednesday to discuss that process.

He talked about various incoming transfers, the importance of retaining most of his assistant coaches, and the positive long-term effects Indiana's 11-2 run in 2024 has had on the program going into the 2025 season.

Wednesday was also National Signing Day for the high school class of 2025, and Indiana signed two players – quarterback Jacob Bell and linebacker Amari Kamara – though most of the 23-player class had already signed. Cignetti said 14 of those players have enrolled at Indiana for the spring 2025 semester.

Here's the full transcript and video of Cignetti's comments.

Opening statement

Cignetti: "Alright, another recruiting season has come and gone. Pleased with what we got done, filling immediate needs in the portal, 19 portal guys. If you count E.J. Williams, who was in the portal and returned, it's almost 20. Along with 23 high school guys, 14 are enrolled mid-year. I feel like we addressed the needs that we needed to address for the '25 season. And the high school guys are developmental, our kind of guys. So the staff looking forward to taking a couple of days off because I don't think we really had a day off since we came back to work in July and get back at it."

On Tino Sunseri leaving for UCLA and replacing him with Chandler Whitmer as the quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator...

Cignetti: "Well, really happy for Tino to get the opportunity to coordinate an offense. Did a great job for us. Was very impressed with Chandler in our conversations, came highly recommended, a lot of knowledge, been around a lot of great people, excellent teacher. Looking forward to having him join our offense."

On his approach to roster retention, conversations he had with players about coming back to Indiana, and the impact of NIL and team success...

Cignetti: "There really weren't many conversations. I think everybody was in a good place, excited about where we're going. Obviously had a good experience last fall. And really didn't lose anybody that was in our long-term plan, which is a real plus. Now, your key guys, all-conference guys, the very visible players, you know, we handled those guys on the front end. And I like what's going on. We're off to a good start in the weight room. Derek [Owings] likes what he sees. So the retention piece was not really an issue."

On if he's satisfied with Indiana's future nonconference schedules and his philosophy in regard to that...

Cignetti: "I like winning ball games. I think most coaches do. I mean, we play nine Big Ten Conference games, which is more than most the other conferences. So I'm going to play who's on the schedule. And I think we got Notre Dame coming up down the road. But I'm going to play who's on the schedule."

On what Chandler Whitmer can bring to the offense based on his previous experiences..

Cignetti: "We're looking to bring in a guy to develop the quarterback, mainly. We've had great success with quarterbacks. Four straight players of the year offensively. And then Kurtis was number one in the country in quarterback rating, but made second-team all-conference. He had a great year. That, first and foremost, a quarterback developer. And you're always looking for ideas from every staff member. But his number one job is to develop the quarterback."

On the initial hurdle incoming freshmen face in college...

Cignetti: "I think they just try to get up to speed with the standards, the day-in and day-out consistency, the routine. When they come in as freshmen they're behind the older guys. So they're just trying to get in the groove and make progress daily. All we ask of anybody in this program is be accountable, be where you're supposed to be, and hopefully five minutes early, do your best, and rub off on others positively and the process will take care of itself. So there's no pressure on anyone to be a starter in the fall or whatever. It's just do those things and you'll develop."

On if recruits had more desire to come to Indiana based on the success it had in 2024...

Cignetti: "Well, I think winning opens doors. There's no doubt about it. Now, whether they're more talented remains to be seen. We haven't had a practice yet. We like who we got. They checked the boxes in terms of character, athletic ability. Almost all of them were starters where they came from. I think we had one guy that had started and played significant minutes but wasn't a full-time starter. So they fit what we're looking for and they fit our positions of need."

On transfer tight ends Holden Staes and Riley Nowakowski and if either of them will be vertical passing threats...

Cignetti: "We'll find out in spring ball. But Nowakowski went to Wisconsin as a walk-on, a wrestler also. Played fullback. Coaching change, moved to tight end, excellent blocker, good hands, really a hardworking guy. And Holden Staes has good movement skills. So we'll see what he can give us both in the run game and the pass game. But I'm glad we got those two guys because it was a position of need."

On what attracted him to quarterback Fernando Mendoza...

Cignetti: "Well, obviously been aware of him for a while because we got Alberto, the younger brother, here. Two-year starter at Cal, did a lot of really good things on tape. Was under duress quite a bit. I mean, the protection wasn't great out there. Not only did he show the ability to make all the throws from the pocket, but to extend plays and be able to make plays on the move with his arm and his legs. He's an extremely intelligent guy, and he's got two years. He was a target. And that was a good day when he decided to come."

On how important it was to improve the offensive line through the transfer portal and what stands out about those players...

Cignetti: "Well, we look to improve every position, and one of the many reasons that I retained Coach Bostad initially was what I had been told about the line's improvement in his one year at Indiana before I arrived. And I had known of Bob for about a dozen years. I thought he did a great job with that line. I thought the line functioned well. I'm excited about the guys we're able to bring in from the portal. Kahlil Benson did a really nice job here at offensive tackle the year before I came. Obviously [Pat] Coogan started a lot of games at Notre Dame and played well. And Zen [Michalski] started and played meaningful minutes at Ohio State. I'm excited about what that line can look like, but it's a day-to-day process. Like every other position, earned not given. I try not to get too excited on the front end. I want to see it between the white lines. But I thought the one telling thing about what we've accomplished in a short time we've been here is we had two starters from the year before that had gone to the portal and left – one went to Ole Miss and one went to Colorado – and wanted to return after they saw what was going on here at Indiana. That would be Kahlil Benson and Louis Moore, who earned some All-Big Ten honors in '23. And E.J. Williams who had – E.J. wanted to redshirt after his fourth game. And like I said to him, I decide who redshirts. If you can help the team, then that's what everybody is here to do. And he had dreams of playing in the league. It was his last year. So his only recourse was to go into the portal. About the middle of December we got together. We wanted him back. He wanted to come back. So that was another win for us as well, another guy that had started in '23, the year before I got here. So I think it says a lot about what went on last year that guys who had left on the front end and then returned."

On what his approach of never being satisfied looks like with the coaching staff and players in the offseason...

Cignetti: "Well, I think you have high standards in everything you do, right? And if you prepare the right way, you expect success. You don't have a lot of time to enjoy it because the next challenge is coming up and you've got to get ready and you've got to prepare for that accordingly or you're not going to have success. So I think that's part of being never satisfied. And that's the separator between good and great, never being satisfied and resting on your laurels. And I can promise you, this team is a hungry, humble team right now that's working really hard in the offseason program. And we've got to string together days, months, heading into the fall."

On Michigan transfer wide receiver Tyler Morris...

Cignetti: "Experience, like you said. He's a senior. He's played a lot football, started a lot of games, made some big plays in some big games. There's a real benefit in that, and I'm glad we got him."

On his top priorities heading into spring ball...

Cignetti: "I think spring ball is always you want to develop players, practice habits, start to develop some intangibles on your football team – consistency, toughness, resiliency, competitiveness. Get an idea of what your two-deep might look like heading into the fall. And then you might look at a couple of things schematically – offense, defense, special teams – which is a continual process."

On Maryland transfer running back Roman Hemby...

Cignetti: "He kind of fits the bill what we look for because our backs do catch a number of passes also. Yeah, I was impressed with his game against us here in the fall and obviously been watching tape of him for a while. He's got a lot of experience. Got a lot of career total yards, whether it's rushing or receiving. And we lost our top two guys. So he was a perfect fit for what we were looking for."

On the positional flexibility of offensive lineman Kahlil Benson, and if there are young linemen that did not play last season but could make a jump this spring...

Cignetti: "Well, you know, competition is a great thing. It makes everybody better. So we'll have increased competition on the offensive line. Most of the guys up front can play multiple positions. They're smart guys. Maybe some of the interior guys wouldn't necessarily project real well at tackle, but there's a few who could and vice versa. I think some of the young guys, this is their opportunity to take another step. There's a couple that we think could be ready to take meaningful snaps and play successful football in the fall. And that's the bottom line. If you can play successful football, we're going to find a role for you. So we don't want to throw anybody out there before they're ready, that's for darned sure. And I think we're in a position right now as a football team where we shouldn't have to do that."

On his approach to the upcoming revenue sharing rules in college football...

Cignetti: "I think all coaches have had to adjust and the rules are changing all the time, the landscape. You've got to be light on your feet. You've got to do the best job with whatever resources you have to put together the best roster you can. So we've always done a good job of that. And I think we did a pretty good job this past winter."

On restructuring defensive coordinator Bryant Haines' contract twice this offseason...

Cignetti: "Well, you know, when you're successful and you win and you're a coordinator and your side of the ball excels – I think we're number one in the country against the run, number two in total defense, we're number one in Big Ten in other categories – he's done a great job for me. I think he just completed his third year as coordinator. He's been with me 11 or 12 years – people are going to come after him. The blue bloods were knocking at the door and we didn't want to lose him and we were proactive. I really appreciate President Whitten and Scott Dolson for the tremendous support that they've provided since I've become the head coach that enables us to keep a key person like Bryant Haines."

On if he thinks Indiana will need to add a transfer cornerback in the spring portal window...

Cignetti: "No, I don't think. We added some pieces in the portal, which probably expedited an exit or two. We didn't lose, you know, anyone that we were projecting to start in the fall, let me just put it that way. But everything is earned, not given, so you never know. I like who we have. Coach Ojong likes who we have. And I think we have an opportunity to have better depth than we did last season."

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• INDIANA ROSTER UPDATES: Indiana updated its 2025 roster with some notables players no longer with the Hoosiers. CLICK HERE.

• COOGAN COMMITS: Pat Coogan makes quick commitment to Indiana after visit on Friday. CLICK HERE

• HOW INDIANA'S OFFENSE IS SHAPING UP: An early look at how Indiana's offense looks for the 2025 season. CLICK HERE.

• HOW INDIANA'S DEFENSE IS SHAPING UP: Here's a position-by-position breakdown of Indiana's defense heading into 2025. CLICK HERE

• INDIANA REPORTEDLY RETAINING HAINES: Indiana defensive coordinator Bryant Haines has had his contract re-worked for the 2025 season, according to Matt Zeinitz of 247Sports. CLICK HERE

• PORTAL RANKINGS: Curt Cignetti has reloaded Indiana’s roster for the 2025 season through the transfer portal. Here's where the incoming class ranks nationally. CLICK HERE.