What is Curt Cignetti's Connection to NC State?
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RALEIGH — Coaching trees around college football trickle into the modern era of the sport. Some program trees also have that effect, as coaches who make stops in certain places tend to come out stronger no matter what era the sport is in. An argument could be made that NC State is one of those places, especially given what one coach has done in his first two seasons in the FBS ranks.
Curt Cignetti, the head coach of No. 1 Indiana, walked a well-documented path before reaching his first job as the head coach of a Power Conference program. His career took a positive turn over 20 years ago, however, when he served as an assistant coach in Raleigh for the Wolfpack.
Looking at Cignetti's Wolfpack career
The Pittsburgh native made stops at four programs in various lower-level assistant roles before landing on Chuck Amato's staff at NC State in 2000. Over the next five years, he served in a variety of different positions, which included tight ends coach, quarterback coach and recruiting coordinator. From 2000 to 2005, Cignetti helped Amato and the Wolfpack win four bowl games.
One of his roles stuck out more than the rest during his time at NC State, however. As the quarterback coach, Cignetti was integral in the development of the program's all-time leading passer, Philip Rivers. The pair combined forces and earned the Wolfpack a 34-17 record in Rivers' four seasons with the program.
IU football head coach Curt Cignetti was Philip Rivers' quarterbacks coach at NC State in his senior year.
— WISH-TV News (@WISHNews8) January 1, 2026
"We've kept in touch somewhat... certainly the last year or two, just letting him know I was pulling for him."#iufb pic.twitter.com/ekkxmYI0Td
Cignetti only served as the quarterback coach for Rivers' final season in Raleigh. a year in which the quarterback earned ACC Offensive Player of the Year honors. Rivers passed for 4,491 yards, 34 touchdowns and seven interceptions, helping the Wolfpack win the 2003 Tangerine Bowl 56-26 over Kansas.
Both Rivers and Cignetti dominated the news cycle for different reasons, doing special things with football teams in Indiana. Rivers made a triumphant return to the NFL as a 44-year-old after spending most of the last five years coaching a high school team in Alabama, led by his son, a four-star quarterback recruit.
Cignetti has the Indiana Hoosiers, historically one of the worst programs in the world of college football, among the nation's best in just two seasons. He has amassed a 25-2 record with two College Football Playoff appearances. Cignetti's 2025 Hoosiers, led by Heisman-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza, worked their way into the CFP semifinal round after dominating Alabama in the Rose Bowl.
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Tucker Sennett graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Journalism from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. A former basketball player, he has gained valuable experience working at Cronkite News and brings a deep passion for sports and reporting to his role as the NC State Wolfpack Beat Writer On SI.
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