Undefeated Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti credits Nick Saban for his learning curve
The undefeated Indiana Hoosiers (7-0) head coach, Curt Cignetti, gave a shoutout to former Alabama coach Nick Saban on “The Pat McAfee Show.” Cignetti credited Saban for setting a relentless coaching standard:
"There should be no self-imposed limitations."
Reflecting on his time with Saban at Alabama, Cignetti praised the high standards Saban instilled:
“In this game, you can score points in bunches,” he said. “Things happen. If you’re going to preach high standards, expectations, never compromise on your standards.
“You get what you demand,” he added. “Then in the fourth quarter when you’re up three or four scores, you can’t lower your standards. That’s when I’m like a maniac. … I learned that from somebody.”
Indiana coach was talking about Nick Saban, the legendary coach with seven national championships—six of them with Alabama.
Cignetti, who now leads the Hoosiers, was actually on Saban's staff, working as a wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator from 2007 to 2010.
Now with Indiana ranked No. 13, Cignetti shed light on the challenges he faced upon arrival.
“First day on campus, we had 10 offensive starters in the transfer portal,” Cignetti said. “In three weeks, we brought in 22 transfers. They were all 2 three years starters.”
By Dec. 20, they had transformed the roster, as per the coach:
“On Dec. 20th we had flipped the roster was very optimistic,” he said. “And the culture shift started in the winter with the strength training program in January.”
Nick Saban praised Curt Cignetti for the impact he created
The Hoosiers (7-0) are still unbeaten and Cignetti has exceeded all the expectations. On the "Pat McAfee Show," Nick Saban praised Cignetti and the coaching staff for their impact.
"Guys like Coach Cignetti had an advantage,” he said. “When we went to Alabama they weren't very good. So, therefore, we built the program from scratch.
“We were 7-6 the first year, 12-0 the second year — lost to Florida in the SEC Championship Game. So the whole culture of the program got built... [Cignetti] actually got to see it built from the ground up."
Saban on Curt Cignetti’s journey said that he learned the intangibles that make a program strong and sustainable:
"He just had success at programs that, whether they were Division II, [Division] 1-AA, people didn't pay that much attention to,” Saban said. “But if you evaluate his success rate, it was very, very good. Now he's at someplace people notice, so I think that's the big difference."
The Hoosiers are set to face Washington this Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington. The game will kick off at noon ET.
Also Read: Undefeated Curtis Cignetti reveals Indiana's secret to facing adversity: "We're very process-oriented"