Oregon coach Dan Lanning and Indiana coach Curt Cignetti look like opposites.
Lanning is the flashy budding star who wins by defying conventional wisdom. The blunt-spoken Cignetti takes a decidedly old-school approach.
The two former Alabama assistants will soon find themselves back in SEC country, sharing mutual admiration for their very different styles, as they chase one goal — reaching the national championship game.
“(He's) one of the young superstars in the coaching profession,” Cignetti said of his Peach Bowl opponent in the College Football Playoff semifinals on Friday night.
When he was introduced as Oregon's new coach in December 2021, Lanning was asked about his lack of head coaching experience. The former defensive coordinator at Georgia responded with a wisecrack.
“Well, I hate to cut you off, but I’ve been a head coach before,” Lanning said. “When I was in high school, I coached the third-grade basketball team, and we were damn good. I mean, we were good.”
Lanning pledged the Ducks would be relentless in their pursuit of excellence. He hasn't disappointed.
In four seasons with the Ducks, Lanning has lost only seven games. Oregon won the 2024 Big Ten title during its first year in the conference and was unbeaten until losing to Ohio State in the CFP quarterfinals.
This season, there's just one blemish, the 30-20 home loss to Indiana in October.
Like Lanning, Cignetti also has been relentless. In two years, he did what few thought possible by turning the Football Bowl Subdivision’s losingest program into the undefeated Big Ten champ, the CFP's top seed and the nation's No. 1 team.
The 64-year-old Cignetti leaned heavily into his head coaching experience at Indiana-Pennsylvania, Elon and James Madison to quickly establish a new mindset inside a program where mediocrity and near-misses had become the norm.
Known for soundbite-perfect quotes, Cignetti left no doubt he was the right hire.
“It's pretty simple. I win. Google me,” he said.
Both coaches perfected their craft while working under coach Nick Saban, although not at the same time.
Cignetti joined Saban in his first year with the Crimson Tide, spent three more years there as the receivers coach and recruiting coordinator before leaving to coach IUP, the same school where his Hall of Famer father, Frank Sr., coached.
By then, Cignetti had already developed a reputation as a quarterback guru in stops at Pittsburgh, Rice and Temple before producing his prize pupil, Philip Rivers, at North Carolina State.
“Obviously, it was, shoot, 20 years ago-plus, but really smart, had a mind for the game and a great way of teaching,” Rivers said. “You see that, you've seen that on full display, really, his whole career. But as he's come up through the head coaching ranks, his last four stops, he's won everywhere he's been. So it's been fun to see, and I've always rooted for him.”
Cignetti's latest win was very Saban-esque, a 38-3 CFP quarterfinal victory over Alabama at the Rose Bowl that extended Indiana's perfect record to 14-0.
“If you were serious about your career and wanted to be a head coach one day, you took great notes or great mental notes," Cignetti said. "So, I felt like after one year with coach Saban, I had learned more about how to run a program and maybe did the previous 27 as an assistant coach, and stayed with him for three more years. There’s a lot of disciples out there doing well, and that’s why he’s the greatest of all time.”
Lanning, 39, served as a graduate assistant under Saban in 2015, when Alabama won a national championship. He had been working at Sam Houston but took a pay cut to work with Saban.
“When anybody asked me why, I said, I’m going to get my doctorate in football. That’s what it felt like working for coach Saban,” Lanning said. “Just like coach (Cignetti) said, you learn so much — things I thought I knew, I realized I didn’t know anything."
Cignetti has often said he's a more traditional coach, following in the footsteps of his father. He emphasizes preparation and accountability, while also preaching unrelenting aggressiveness on the field.
He summed up his philosophy following the win over Alabama.
“It’s a great vehicle that helps people, used properly, become more successful in their life’s work later on and raising a family. A lot of great lessons there about teamwork, leadership, overcoming adversity, meeting challenges, preparation, commitment, discipline, work ethic, toughness,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of the guys that have the right stuff.”
Lanning is more showy, much like the array of uniforms the Ducks wear. He showed his willingness to take chances with a successful fake punt on fourth-and-3 in the second quarter of the team's 23-0 CFP quarterfinal victory over Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl.
Should this be the year the Ducks finally win a national championship — Oregon lost to Auburn in the 2011 BCS title game then fell to Ohio State in the 2015 CFP championship — there will no doubt be more chatter about Lanning's future.
Lanning has repeatedly said he's not going anywhere. He signed an extension in November that keeps him at Oregon through January 2032.
“Like I’ve said for a long time, as long as I win, I get the opportunity to be here. That’s on me, right?" Lanning said. "So this is where I’ll be as long as I do that. What I can speak to is that my situation is so good that I feel really comfortable saying that, right? I love this place. And more than that, I love the commitment that they’ve given to me."
Cignetti seems content where he's at, too. He's signed extensions each of the past two years and in October talked about finishing his career with the Hoosiers.
For now, however, it's all about results.
“It all starts with him,” Hoosiers center Pat Coogan said after the Rose Bowl. “The complacency factor, the afraid to death of complacency, the never-ending journey of improving, taking it day by day, taking each day as the most important day in the history of the program. He makes sure all of our eyes are focused forward and we’re all thinking alike."
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Oregon head coach Dan Lanning speaks at a press conference ahead of an Orange Bowl College Football Playoff quarterfinal game against Texas Tech, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, in Dania Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
