Indiana Football Coach Curt Cignetti Shuts Down NFL Interest

MIAMI — During his rise to national prominence on Indiana football's run to the College Football Playoff championship game, Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti has been tied by pundits to potential job openings in the NFL.

No more.

Cignetti squashed all discussions — both present and future — Saturday morning during his Media Day appearance at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

"I mean, I'm not an NFL guy," Cignetti said. "I made that decision a long time ago when I went with Chuck Amato to NC State in 2000. I had a chance to go with the Packers, Tom Rossley, Mike Sherman, (Brett) Favre was in his heyday. I think Darrell Bevell got the job, ended up taking the job. I declined the opportunity. I almost took it.

"That's when I made the final decision, and I've always been more of a college football guy."

Cignetti's name had been brought up as a possibility for the NFL's nine head coach openings, but all in a speculatory manner. There were no rumblings of interest on his behalf or the slightest indication he'd ever entertain the idea.

And, evidently, there won't be much of a need to include Cignetti in future NFL conversations, either.

Cignetti takes after his dad, Frank, who was an assistant from 1966-75 at Pitt, Princeton and West Virginia, served as the Mountaineers' head coach from 1976-79 and later became the Indiana University of Pennsylvania's coach from 1986-2005.

Thus, Cignetti spent his entire life around college football. Apart from his brief dabble with the Packers, he hasn't expressed much interest or given much time to being part of the sport's highest professional level.

The 64-year-old Cignetti inked a contract extension with Indiana that pays $11.6 million annually through the end of the 2033 season. He's financially and contractually tied to the Hoosiers, and he appears steadfast on continuing to build Indiana into a perennial national title contender.

No. 1 Indiana will aim for immortality as college football's first 16-0 team since Yale in 1894 when it faces No. 10 Miami at 7:30 p.m. Monday inside Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

And Cignetti, with his oft-described noise and clutter of NFL possibilities now muted, is focused solely on bringing the Hoosiers their first championship in program history.

"You stay focused on the here and now, control the controllables, be detailed in your preparation," Cignetti said. "That gives you the most confidence going in, gives you the best chance. Because we have so many guys on this team that are older and have started so many games, the moment has never been too big.

"We have not always been perfect, but we've been very consistent in all three phases."

And Cignetti has been consistent in his message about his future, too: He has no interest in the NFL — and appears headed for longevity in Bloomington.