Urban Meyer Calls Curt Cignetti’s Indiana Turnaround the Best Coaching Job He’s Ever Seen
Urban Meyer has seen a lot in his four decades around college football. National titles, Heisman winners, dynasties built and dismantled.
So when he says something is the “greatest coaching job” he’s ever witnessed, that’s not hyperbole-it’s a statement that carries serious weight. And right now, that praise is being directed straight at Curt Cignetti and what he’s pulled off at Indiana.
Yes, that Indiana. The program that, not long ago, was a Big Ten afterthought.
Now? They’re 16-0 national champions.
Let that sink in.
Meyer, speaking on the Triple Option Podcast, didn’t hold back in his admiration for Cignetti’s stunning two-year transformation in Bloomington.
“I’m almost 62. Over 40 years around college football. That’s the greatest coaching job I have ever witnessed in my lifetime,” Meyer said.
Think about that. This is a coach who’s gone toe-to-toe with Nick Saban, built powerhouses at Florida and Ohio State, and watched the sport evolve over decades. And yet it’s Cignetti’s work at Indiana that left him most impressed.
The Hidden Backbone: Staff Continuity
One of the key reasons Meyer believes Indiana’s rise is sustainable? Staff stability.
“What he (Curt Cignetti) and his staff, and it’s not just him, he has two coordinators who have been with him for nine years,” Meyer noted. “Pete Carroll went through it, Nick Saban went through it, I went through it.
It’s when you start losing your coaches. Because those guys should be head coaches.”
That kind of continuity is rare in today’s coaching carousel. When programs start winning, assistants get poached. But Cignetti has held onto his lieutenants-offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan and defensive coordinator Bryant Haines-and that’s been a major part of Indiana’s success.
Meyer knows both of them well. In fact, Haines once worked under him at Ohio State. And he didn’t mince words when talking about what they’ve accomplished alongside Cignetti.
“What they’ve done, Mike Shanahan and then Bryant Haines… those guys, what they did, I’m telling you, the best coaching job I’ve seen.”
A New Power in the Big Ten?
It’s not just about going undefeated. It’s about how Indiana has done it-methodically, with a clear identity, and without falling into the trap of quick-fix success.
Cignetti has built something sturdy, something real. And Meyer’s recognition of that speaks volumes.
Meyer may now be a face of FOX Sports and a prominent voice covering the Big Ten, but this isn’t just media fluff. This is a three-time national champion tipping his cap to a coach who’s flipped the narrative on one of college football’s most overlooked programs.
Cignetti’s rise has also added a new branch to the Nick Saban coaching tree-one that’s beginning to bear serious fruit. And while much of the spotlight is on Indiana’s head man, the work of Shanahan and Haines shouldn’t be overlooked.
If history is any guide, they won’t be assistants for long. Their profiles are rising quickly, and it’s only a matter of time before they’re leading programs of their own.
Can Indiana Keep This Going?
That’s the big question now. Sustaining success in college football is often harder than achieving it.
Just ask Saban, Dabo Swinney, or Kirby Smart-each of whom has felt the sting of losing top assistants. Meyer himself wasn’t immune to it.
If Indiana is going to stay at this level, keeping the band together will be key. But for now, what Cignetti and his staff have done is nothing short of remarkable. From the basement of the Big Ten to the pinnacle of college football, they’ve authored one of the most improbable-and impressive-turnarounds the sport has ever seen.
Urban Meyer has seen it all. And in his eyes, Indiana’s rise under Curt Cignetti stands alone.