New Indiana Football Coaching Staff Taking Shape Under Curt Cignetti

Curt Cignetti has begun building a new coaching staff at Indiana since he was hired on Nov. 30 as the head football coach, replacing Tom Allen.

Cignetti is bringing over several James Madison assistants to Bloomington, but he also decided to retain Indiana offensive line coach Bob Bostad and make a few outside hires.

Cignetti confirmed Monday on The Wake Up Call with Kevin Bowen and Andy Sweeney on 107.5 The Fan that he will not be coaching James Madison against Air Force in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl on Dec. 23.

"When you take a new job, you’ve left your old job, and you have to devote 100 percent of your time to your new job because there’s a million things to do," Cignetti said. "And for me and my staff to show up two days before the bowl game wouldn’t make any sense."

Indiana has not yet officially announced these hirings, so Cignetti was unable to comment on his staff members during his introductory press conference on Friday. These staff hirings are based on various reports since Thursday.

Here's a breakdown of Cignetti's staff.

New coaching staff

Curt Cignetti, head coach

Cignetti comes to Indiana with 13 years of head coaching experience at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Elon and James Madison. Most recently, he went 52-9 across five seasons at James Madison since 2019. Cignetti was named Sun Belt Coach of the Year in 2023, leading the Dukes to an 11-1 record. He also has Power 5 coaching experience as an assistant at Alabama, NC State and Pittsburgh. Cignetti was formally introduced at Indiana on Dec. 1.

Mike Shanahan, offensive coordinator

Shanahan was a member of Cignetti's staff at James Madison all five seasons. He began as the wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator before being promoted to offensive coordinator before the 2021 season. In all three seasons with Shanahan leading the offense, James Madison averaged at least 35 points per game. The Dukes rank 29th in the FBS in total offense in 2023, generating 430.3 yards per game. Shanahan coached under Cignetti at Elon and IU-Pennsylvania.

Bryant Haines, defensive coordinator

Haines was hired by Cignetti at James Madison before the 2019 season, and he was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2022. The Dukes lead the FBS in run defense in 2023, and they rank second in sacks. In 2022, James Madison had seven All-Sun Belt players on defense and ranked second in the FBS in run defense. Haines was also on Cignetti's staffs at Elon and IU-Pennsylvania.

Tino Sunseri, quarterbacks

Sunseri joined Cignetti's staff at James Madison before the 2021 season. The Dukes' passing offense has ranked second and third in the Sun Belt over the last two seasons, along with first and second-place finishes in scoring. James Madison has had an impressive  run of quarterbacks under Sunseri. In 2021, Cole Johnson set the school's single-season records for passing yards, touchdowns and completions and won CAA Offensive Player of the Year. When James Madison moved up to the FBS and Sun Belt Conference in 2022, Todd Centeio won Offensive Player of the year. And most recently, Jordan McCloud won Sun Belt Player of the Year this season. Sunseri previously coached quarterbacks at Alabama, including Tua Tagovailoa and Mac Jones.

Bob Bostad, offensive line

Former Indiana head coach Tom Allen hired Bostad before the 2023 season. The offensive line was a weakness at Indiana, especially during the 2021 and 2022 seasons, but the group made noticeable improvements under Bostad's direction. In 2023, four of Indiana's five starting offensive linemen received the best offensive grades of their careers by Pro Football Focus. However, four starters entered the transfer portal and Mike Katic declared for the NFL draft, so Indiana could have to rebuild its offensive line.

John Miller, running backs

After graduating from James Madison in 2018, Cignetti hired Miller as the school's running backs coach before the 2021 season. James Madison ranked fourth in the conference in rushing yards in 2021 and 2022 but dropped to 12th in 2023. Under Miller's direction, running back Percy Agyei-Obese earned third-team All-Sun Belt honors in 2022 and finished his James Madison career ranked second in all-time rushing touchdowns and third in rushing yards. Miller's coaching experience also includes two years as an offensive quality control coach at Texas, where he worked primarily with wide receivers.

Grain Cain, tight ends/special teams

Cignetti hired Cain before his first season at James Madison in 2019. In addition to coaching tight ends and being the special teams coordinator, Cain was promoted to assistant head coach before the 2022 season when James Madison moved up to the FBS. James Madison tight end Zach Horton was named first-team All-Sun Belt in 2023. Cain previously held various assistant coaching positions at Mercer and Coastal Carolina.

Pat Kuntz, defensive tackles

Kuntz was hired by James Madison before the 2022 season. In both seasons that Kuntz coached the Dukes' defensive linemen, James Madison led the Sun Belt in run defense. And in 2023, it ranked first in the entire FBS in run defense. Kuntz previously coached at VMI and Southern Illinois. Kuntz played nose guard for Notre Dame from 2005-08, then began his coaching career at his alma mater, Roncalli High School in Indianapolis. From 2016-18, Kuntz was a graduate assistant on former Indiana coach Tom Allen's staff.

Buddha Williams, defensive ends

Williams comes to Indiana after working as the defensive line coach at Colorado State under Jay Norvell for two seasons. In 2022, Colorado State defensive lineman Mohamed Kamara was a second-team All-Mountain West selection. Williams previously coached defensive linemen at North Dakota State from 2017-21, winning three FCS national championships. He also coached in the Big Ten as a graduate assistant at Illinois from 2014-15.

Ola Adams, defensive backs/safeties

Adams was hired at Indiana after one season as a defensive analyst and analytics coordinator at Penn State. Prior to Penn State, he was an assistant secondary coach for the Denver Broncos. Adams was named to the 35 Under 35 list by the AFCA for his work as Villanova's defensive coordinator for three seasons. 

Derek Owings, strength and conditioning

Cignetti hired Owings before the 2020 season to lead James Madison's strength program. Prior to James Madison, Owings was an assistant strength coach at Texas Tech and Central Florida, and also worked as a graduate assistant at Utah State from 2016-18. Owings played at Mercer and Eastern Michigan.