'Perfect Fit': Indiana Center Pat Coogan's Leadership, Experience Paying Dividends

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — When Indiana football enters into its final stretching period, two-to-three players stand in the middle with the rest of the 106-man roster split on either side. They lead the team through up-downs, sit-ups and push-ups. Five of each.

It's an honor reserved for the players who teammates are willing to follow.

Pat Coogan took his perch in the middle on Day 1. And again on Day 2. And again on Day 4. At various points, he was flanked by linebacker Aiden Fisher, cornerback D'Angelo Ponds, receiver Elijah Sarratt and defensive end Mikail Kamara — the nucleus, as coach Curt Cignetti described it, of the "small contingent" of former James Madison players who've morphed into invaluable leaders at Indiana.

Now Coogan finds himself in the same leadership hierarchy, just six months after arriving in Bloomington and seven-and-a-half months after helping Notre Dame end Indiana's magical 2024 season.

Three-and-a-half hours away from South Bend, the Hoosiers' senior center feels he's right where he belongs.

"I can't say I imagined my career to go this way, but I'm glad it did, because I'm super glad to be here," Coogan said July 31. "All the ups and downs and all the turmoil, the good days, the wins, the losses — I really believe everything has led me to here, and I'm super grateful for that."

Coogan committed to Indiana on Jan. 31, a week-and-a-half after Notre Dame lost to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff National Championship.

The Hoosiers, who lost Mike Katic to graduation, needed a center. Coogan, whose starting job wasn't guaranteed this season at Notre Dame, sought a new home for his final season of eligibility, and his girlfriend, Sarah, graduated from Indiana in the spring.

"It was a perfect fit," Cignetti said. "Sure glad we got him, and I think he's going to be a great leader for us."

Coogan joined the Hoosiers for spring practice and, from Day 1, didn't shy away from using his voice. Indiana left tackle Carter Smith, another of the team's top leaders, saw Coogan's leadership traits immediately.

"He’s loud," Smith said Tuesday. "He’s a communicator. He does really well making all of his calls. He keeps his eyes up. He’s very focused and very attentive. But he also likes to keep the mood light. If someone’s down, he’s going to pick them up and pat them on the back. He’s fit in really well."

Coogan's infusion of leadership carries additional weight as Indiana seeks to return to the College Football Playoff. He's weathered tough times, playing in just two games during his first two seasons and losing his starting job to begin the 2024 season. And he's come out better on the other end.

The Hoosiers' blueprint to building on their 11-2 record last season hardly differs from any of Cignetti's other plans. He wants his team to avoid warm fuzzies or becoming complacent and hating the work that vaulted them to the Big Ten.

Those characteristics, Cignetti said, are critical to going the distance in the season-long title race. He trusts his James Madison core to instill those values within Indiana's locker room, much as it did in 2024. The next name he mentioned? Coogan.

"You win with people because the season is not a sprint. It's a marathon," Cignetti said July 22 at Big Ten Media Days in Las Vegas. "You've got to be able to handle success. You've got to be able to handle failure. You've got to do the right things off the field. You have to stay away from the land mines.

"You have to pick other guys up when they're down, but you have to have consistency and performance game in, game out, week in, week out — especially when you're successful."

Coogan's value translates on the field. In an answer about the standouts on Indiana's offensive line, Kamara started with Smith, who he feels is the best tackle in college football, and then touted the 6-foot-5, 311-pound Coogan.

"Great center," Kamara said "Big guy, great player."

Coogan, however, feels he still has plenty of areas to grow. He was recruited to Notre Dame as a guard, and in 2023, he started all 13 games at left guard. Last year was his first at center. He's seasoned on the interior, but playing center requires more nuance.

The position requires elite vision and diagnostic skills. Coogan said he needs to see both sides of the field and look past the first two lines of the defense to get a defined picture of his opponent's pre-snap schematic look.

Center is rooted in mental acumen — perhaps more than ever. Cignetti believes the position, like most others, has evolved substantially as technology has improved and football has become more sophisticated.

Offenses and defenses are more complex, but players have an abundance of teaching tools at their disposal to hasten their learning curve and counteract the schematic advancements.

With one year at center, Coogan plans on turning his experience into heightened performance this fall.

"There's fine tunes in my game I really want to clean up," Coogan said. "Whether it's foot work or hand placement or head placement, stuff like that, that always needs attention and always needs work. Things like my anchor in the pass game and my hands in the pass game as well, just continue to work on those.

"And fall camp is a great time to do so. So, it's a very exciting opportunity to work and get better."

Coogan took a significant step this summer and returned to fall camp more comfortable and confident than when he left in the spring, which he attributed to spending more time with the rest of the Hoosiers' offense.

He's also benefitted from Indiana offensive line coach Bob Bostad, who Cignetti touted as a tough, old-school coach who does a good job with his players. Coogan agreed.

"He's very intentional with his work (and) with what he wants to see out of his guys," Coogan said. "There's no real gray area. He's very detailed, very detail oriented. His meetings are set up in a way that's very, 'We're doing this and this and this, and that's what we're doing today.' He knows how to get the best out of guys because he knows how to work guys on the field as well.

"The drills we do are very purposeful. They translate directly to how the defense is going to play in practice or in the game. Everything has a purpose, and I think that's why we see success on the line of scrimmage."

Indiana returns three of its five starting offensive linemen from last season in Smith and guards Bray Lynch and Drew Evans. Ohio State transfer Zen Michalski projects as Indiana's starting right tackle, taking over for Trey Wedig, who ran out of eligibility and is in an NFL training camp with the Los Angeles Rams.

Cignetti said he's high on the potential of the Hoosiers' offensive line. He believes it has a legitimate chance to be good.

The keys are in Coogan's hands — literally. He starts each play. He's responsible for making checks and adjustments, and delivering a clean snap to quarterback Fernando Mendoza.

Coogan alone may not dictate Indiana's success up front, but the unit's ceiling skyrockets if he's successful. And if the respect he's garnered as a leader is any indication, the Hoosiers have a steady captain driving their ship — perhaps back to the College Football Playoff and a chance at extending, not ending, another season.

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