What Steve Sarkisian Said About Indiana, Curt Cignetti "Changing" College Football

In the midst of his war of words with Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire, Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian has also taken a step back to look at the overall picture of college football and offer his takes on what can be done to improve it.

In addition to it all, he has also taken note on the positives of the sport and how it has changed for the better over the past few years.

One example he gave in particular? The Indiana Hoosiers, especially head coach Curt Cignetti, who led the team to a perfect 12-0 record and the first national championship in the school's history.

"What An Unbelievable Job"

Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti during the Indiana versus Wisconsin football game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. | RIch Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Adorned with his signature scowl that mirrors that of Bill Belichick, Cignetti took a team of sixth-year seniors, three-star recruits, and transfers and made them into one of the greatest college football teams of all time, with quarterback Fernando Mendoza being awarded the Heisman Trophy and also being the first selection in the 2026 NFL draft.

And Steve Sarkisian couldn't be more impressed.

"There's a lot of ways to find the path to make it, right? And you know, Curt Cignetti, an amazing job at Indiana," Sarkisian said to Greg McElroy on Always College FootbalI. "What he's done the last two years, there is not a guy in our profession that can't say, 'what an unbelievable job.'"

Sarkisian went on to applaud Cignetti on his accomplishments and the unorthodox style in which he has done it.

"The way that he did it has been somewhat unconventional with the six-year seniors, the transfers, the veteran group, the way that they practice, those things," said Sarkisian. "But one thing in there, he adjusted their schedule, too, so they've got a fresh team, and they're playing a lot of players early in the year and they're a happy team."

And similar to how Belichick and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft developed "The Patriot Way" during the team's dynasty run during the 2000s and 2010s decade, Sarkisian believes that college football programs will begin to implement "The Indiana Way" in the future.

"You know, we can't want everyone to adopt 'The Indiana Way,' but then not adopt all of 'The Indiana Way,' but other people now are starting to follow suit," said the Texas head coach. "So, to Coach Cignetti's credit, everybody want to impact our sport in some way, shape, or form in a positive way. He's impacting people because people now are starting to adjust their non-conference schedules because they're seeing the value of a strength of schedule."

As is turns out, even in light of all the drama with Texas Tech, Joey McGuire and the accusation of lax scheduling in non-conference play, it has seemed to help Sarkisian admire the coaches that take the non-conference schedule seriously to better their teams and shape them to perform at their highest level when it really counts.

Even when Sarkisian himself is one of those aforementioned coaches.

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