Curt Cignetti-To-Indiana Deal Official As Hoosiers Emerge As Landing Spot For JMU’s Head Coach

JMU head coach Curt Cignetti is officially being hired by Indiana.

On the same day he was named the Sun Belt Coach of the Year, reports came out that Cignetti was finalizing a deal to lead the Hoosiers. Now both JMU and Indiana have announced the move will be happening.

Here’s more about the situation.

Indiana Coaching Hire

Cignetti became a top candidate to be Indiana’s head coach earlier this week, per FootballScoop. Cignetti’s hire at Indiana makes sense simply because of what he’s been able to accomplish at JMU. He could build that program up in a similar way.

Previous head coach Tom Allen’s time at Indiana wasn’t without some achievements, but the Hoosiers were ultimately 33-49 during his time as their head coach including a 9-27 mark the past three seasons. Indiana went 3-9 in 2023, which led to him being fired.

And that opened up an opportunity for Cignetti.

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Curt Cignetti’s Time At JMU

Cignetti has been JMU’s head coach since 2019. He’s been highly successful with the Dukes since then.

He led JMU to an FCS national championship appearance in 2019. In the 2021 spring season and fall seasons, JMU was a CAA co-champion and reached the national semifinals both years.

The following season, JMU’s first in the FBS, the Dukes kept their momentum going. They went 8-3 and tied for first in the Sun Belt East, though they were ineligible to play in a bowl game due to NCAA rules.

In 2023, JMU is 11-1 with wins over Virginia and defending conference champion Troy. The Dukes are ranked No. 24 in the AP Top 25 after the final week of the regular season.

But as JMU continued winning, Cignetti became a head coaching candidate for some Power Five programs. That included Indiana.

Curt Cignetti Coaching Record

Curt Cignetti is 52-9 overall as a head coach. He’s 19-4 in two seasons at the FBS level.

Curt Cignetti’s Coaching History