Curt Cignetti finishes his masterpiece, coaching unbeaten Indiana to title in his 2nd season

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Curt Cignetti came to Indiana to win championships.

The old-school, blunt-spoken coach who began his Hoosiers tenure with a promise to bring swift success to the losingest program in college football completed his masterpiece on Monday night, guiding Indiana to a 27-21 win over Miami in the College Football Playoff final and the first national championship in school history.

Cignetti accomplished what few imagined could be done — at least not this quickly. But after taking advantage of the transfer portal and name, image and likeness money to build a championship roster, Cignetti coached the Hoosiers to their first No. 1 ranking, and they finished off an undefeated campaign in front of 67,227 fans at Hard Rock Stadium, concluding one of the most surprising turnarounds in college football history.

Cignetti — who began his head coaching career at Division II Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2011 — became the first head coach to win a national title in his first or second season with a team since Gene Chizik led Auburn to the championship in 2010.

“What’s this moment like for me?” Cignetti said. “Back when I was waxing the staff table at IUP Thanksgiving weekend and the school was shut down for the playoffs … Did I ever think something like this was possible? Probably not. If you keep your nose down in life and keep working, anything is possible.”

Cignetti kept working and kept winning through stints at Elon and James Madison before he made the leap to the Big Ten and dismissed skeptics by saying, “I win. Google me.”

On Monday night, Cignetti described his team's performance as gutsy. He certainly called the game that way with a pair of fourth-down gambles on a scoring drive in the fourth quarter that ended with a bruising touchdown run by Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza.

Cignetti went for it on fourth-and-5 at Miami's 37, and the result was a first-down catch by Charlie Becker, who whipped around to snag a back-shoulder pass for a 19-yard gain.

The next was a call from fourth-and-4 at the 12 that was by far the biggest of the game.

Cignetti initially sent his kicker out but then called a timeout. The team huddled on the field, and the coach drew up a quarterback draw. Mendoza scored, slipping a tackle and muscling his way into the end zone to put the Hoosiers up by 10 with nine minutes left.

“We put it in for this game,” Cignetti said. “It was a quarterback draw, but it was blocked differently. And we rolled the dice and said they’re going to be in (the same defense) again. We blocked it well. He broke a tackle or two and got into the end zone.”

The bold call was fitting, considering how improbable it was that Indiana was playing for the title.

Indiana had never won more than nine games in a season before Cignetti's arrival two years ago, and in 2022 became the first Bowl Subdivision program to reach 700 losses.

Now the Hoosiers have double-digit wins in two straight years.

Cignetti brought 13 players from JMU to Indiana and saw the potential in Mendoza, who transferred from California.

“Coach Cig changed my life,” said standout linebacker Aiden Fisher, who followed Cignetti from JMU. “From a kid that felt like I was under-recruited, that I deserved more attention than I got. ... The amount of confidence he built in me, the trust and belief he had in me — I mean, why would you leave that? When a coach cares that much about you and sees so much for your future. He's talked about development and growth for me all the time. It was a no-brainer. I owe a lot to him. He's an unbelievable coach, but he's an unbelievable person.”

A Pittsburgh native and the son of College Football Hall of Fame coach Frank Cignetti Sr., Cignetti graduated from West Virginia in 1982 and began coaching as an assistant at Pitt. He spent the next 24 years working his way up the college football ranks before landing with Nick Saban in Alabama as a recruiting coordinator and receivers coach.

That was Cignetti’s last stop before making the jump to head coach at IUP in 2011.

“I never really thought this was possible,” he said. "But I just kept working, and things happened. And here we are."

As expected, Cignetti barely smiled during the game. He didn't show much emotion when Indiana defensive lineman Mikail Kamara blocked a punt by Dylan Joyce, leading to a touchdown.

The 64-year-old threw his hands up briefly in triumph after Mendoza scored. Even as Indiana players began celebrating victory after Miami native Jamari Sharpe intercepted the Hurricanes' Carson Beck in the final minute, Cignetti's eyes remained on the field, waiting for the final seconds to tick off the clock.

Once it was final, as confetti began to hit the ground, Cignetti sprinted onto the field and pointed toward the sky.

“We won the national championship at Indiana University,” he said. “It can be done.”

After that, he cracked a smile.

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Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti holds the trophy after their win against Miami in the College Football Playoff national championship game, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti holds the trophy after their win against Miami in the College Football Playoff national championship game, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti watches during warm ups before the College Football Playoff national championship game between Miami and Indiana, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti reacts during the second half of the College Football Playoff national championship game against Miami, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti smiles after their win against Miami in the College Football Playoff national championship game, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has asked the Army’s top uniformed officer to step down, the Pentagon said Thursday without giving a reason for the departure as the United States wages a war against Iran.

Gen. Randy George “will be retiring from his position as the 41st Chief of Staff of the Army effective immediately,” said Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s top spokesman. George has held the post of Army chief of staff, which typically runs for four years, since August 2023 under the Biden administration.

The ouster, reported earlier by CBS News, is just the latest of more than a dozen firings of top generals and admirals by Hegseth since he took office last year. Like many of those other firings, Pentagon officials are not offering a reason for George's departure, which comes nearly five weeks into U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran and with no clear timeline from President Donald Trump on when the war may end.

George is a graduate of West Point Military Academy and an infantry officer who served in the first Gulf War as well as Iraq and Afghanistan. He also served as Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s top military aide from 2021 to 2022 during the Biden administration before taking on top leadership roles in the Army.

George made it through the initial round of firings under the Trump administration in February 2025, when Hegseth removed top military leaders, including Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the Navy’s top uniformed officer, and Gen. Jim Slife, the No. 2 leader at the Air Force. Trump also fired Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown Jr. as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Since then, more than a dozen other top military generals and admirals have either retired early or been removed from their posts.

Among these departures was George’s deputy, Gen. James Mingus, who was in the post of vice chief of staff of the Army for less than two years when Trump suddenly nominated Lt. Gen. Christopher LaNeve for the position. LaNeve was then serving as Hegseth’s top military aide, having been plucked for that post from commanding the Eighth Army in South Korea after less than a year in the job.

LaNeve will be stepping in as acting Army chief of staff, according to a Pentagon official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the move before it has been announced. It is a meteoric rise for an officer who was only a two-star general two years ago.

A spokesman for George could not be immediately reached for comment.

This story has been corrected to show that Gen. Jim Slife’s name was misspelled Silfe.

FILE - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, left, and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George review troops during the POW/MIA National Recognition Day Ceremony at the Pentagon, Sept. 19, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)

FILE - Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George speaks during the POW/MIA National Recognition Day Ceremony at the Pentagon, Sept. 19, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, file)

FILE - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, left, and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George review troops during the POW/MIA National Recognition Day Ceremony at the Pentagon, Sept. 19, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)

FILE - Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George speaks during the POW/MIA National Recognition Day Ceremony at the Pentagon, Sept. 19, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, file)