Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti is back on the Dodd Trophy radar.
The Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl, Inc. announced Thursday that Cignetti has been placed on the 2026 Dodd Trophy Preseason Watch List, a group that recognizes coaches who emphasize “scholarship, leadership and integrity.”
Cignetti is one of 20 coaches on the initial list, and he’s not the only Big Ten name in the mix. Illinois’ Bret Bielema, Ohio State’s Ryan Day, Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz, Washington’s Jedd Fisch, Oregon’s Dan Lanning and USC’s Lincoln Riley also landed on the preseason watch list.
The Indiana coach won the award last season. After that honor, Cignetti said in a press release, "I'd like to thank The Dodd Trophy, PNC Bank and Peach Bowl, Inc. for this tremendous honor,” Cignetti said in a press release after winning the award last season. “Being named the Dodd Trophy Coach of the Year is a fantastic recognition for our program but it is only possible because of the hard work of our student-athletes, assistant coaches and support staff."
Cignetti is also one of four past winners on this year’s preseason list. Ferentz won the trophy in 2015, Willie Fritz earned it in 2022 while at Tulane, and Marcus Freeman won it in 2024.
The award carries Bobby Dodd’s name for a reason. Dodd coached Georgia Tech from 1945 to 1966, piling up 165 wins and sharing the 1952 national championship. He died in 1988, but the trophy still reflects the values he pushed throughout his career, including academics as well as on-field success.
That academic piece matters in the selection process. Coaches must lead programs with an Academic Progress Rate above the national average of 971, and Indiana posted a 989 during the 2024-25 academic year.
The field will get trimmed again in the fall with a midseason watch list, and the winner will be announced in Atlanta during the week of the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. That game is set for Jan. 1, 2027.
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