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)

The NFL reached a record-tying 10 openings for head coaches this offseason when Buffalo fired Sean McDermott following their overtime loss in the divisional round of the playoffs.

Four vacancies have already been filled, but the interview circuit will continue to buzz all week. Here's the rundown on each team making the big change this year:

McDermott was tied for the league's second-longest tenure until his nine-season run ended without the franchise's first Super Bowl championship that Josh Allen, the 2024 AP NFL MVP, has been in position to lead them to. The Bills became the first team in history to win at least one playoff game in six straight years without reaching the Super Bowl, and McDermott's eight postseason wins are the most by any coach without a Super Bowl appearance.

Pittsburgh is making the league's most impactful transition in a month of seismic changes, following the resignation of Mike Tomlin after 19 years and no losing records. Tomlin steered the Steelers to 13 postseason appearances, eight division titles and one Super Bowl trophy, but they've lost seven straight playoff games — all by double-digit margins.

Miami went 35-33 in four years under Mike McDaniel, reaching the postseason after the first two. The Dolphins have gone 25 years without a playoff win, the longest current streak in the NFL that spans eight different coaches. Up next is Jeff Hafley, who spent the past two seasons as defensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers after four years as coach at Boston College.

After 18 seasons as Baltimore's coach, including one Super Bowl title and 13 playoff wins, John Harbaugh was dismissed by owner Steve Bisciotti following an 8-9 finish. Harbaugh won only three postseason games in eight years with two-time AP NFL MVP Lamar Jackson.

Arizona was buried in the NFL's best division this season, closing with nine straight losses to finish 3-14. The Cardinals fired Jonathan Gannon with a 15-36 record over three years.

Carroll, the NFL's oldest coach at 74, did not come close in Las Vegas to the success he enjoyed over 14 years with Seattle while winning one of two Super Bowl appearances and nine seasons at USC that included two national championships. The Raiders were 3-14 in Carroll's only season.

Cleveland's only playoff win since the franchise's rebirth in 1999 belongs to Kevin Stefanski, who twice won the AP Coach of the Year award over a six-season run that's the longest of the past 13 coaches the Browns have had. Stefanski was fired with a 46-58 record that included 13 different starting quarterbacks, and seven over the past two years.

Atlanta went 8-9 over the past two seasons under Raheem Morris, a franchise that still hasn't gotten back on track since the blown 28-3 lead in the Super Bowl nine years ago. The Falcons have turned to Stefanski, keeping him unemployed for less than two weeks.

Daboll was fired on Nov. 10 after the New York Giants lost eight of 10 games to start the season. After winning the AP NFL Coach of the Year award in his rookie season in 2022 and ending an 11-year drought without a playoff victory for the Giants, Daboll went 11-33. The Giants quickly snatched up Harbaugh after he became available last week.

Callahan was the first coach fired, on Oct. 14, after Tennessee lost five of the first six games. Callahan went 4-19 and ranks 237th out of 241 coaches in NFL history who've coached at least 20 games since the 1970 merger with a .174 winning percentage. The Titans reached an agreement on Monday night with San Francisco defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, whose first coaching stint with the New York Jets lasted three-plus seasons with a 20-36 record.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel responds to a question during an end-of-season NFL football news conference, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh talks with an offical during the second half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Justin Berl)

Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris walks off the field after an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski speaks at a news conference after an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll watches his team warm up before an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon leaves the field after an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)