'Rip Off the Rearview Mirror': Curt Cignetti, Indiana Football Elevating Standard

Curt Cignetti's right hand motioned up and down, resembling a rollercoaster with breathtaking heights and stomach-clenching drops. That, he said Monday, is what Indiana does not want to be.

Cignetti, the Hoosiers' second-year coach, then stretched his right arm above his head, elevating the proverbial bar. It represented where he wants his team to always play.

Indiana, which enters Week 0 ranked No. 20 in the AP poll, isn't quite to Cignetti's standard yet. It may never be. But the Hoosiers are making encouraging progress.

"I see a lot of improvement out there, but it's still not where it needs to be," Cignetti said Monday. "And even when it's close, you can never be really satisfied if you want to be great. So, whoever is doing the best out there right now, and I don't know who that is consistently over camp, I guarantee you one thing, he is not satisfied."

Cignetti said he's focusing on situational moments, preparing the Hoosiers' offense, defense and special teams for whatever may arise once the season begins Aug. 30 against Old Dominion.

Indiana is also trying to set its depth chart. The Hoosiers are still in the fall camp portion of their practices and will transition to game preparation later this week. They held their second scrimmage Tuesday, an important step in promoting depth, competition and depth chart position.

But Cignetti's main priority goes back to rollercoasters and standards. He wants to see players develop, practices improve, and execution become cleaner.

It's part of Indiana's underlying mission to build on, not just sustain, the historic heights it reached in 2024, when the Hoosiers went 11-1 before losing to Notre Dame in their College Football Playoff opener.

That progress, Cignetti said, doesn't come by looking at last season's body of work, but rather growing day-to-day and moment-to-moment.

"We try to improve upon yesterday’s practice or the previous drill or the previous rep," Cignetti said. "What we’re really trying to do is improve our focus, our concentration, our urgency, our communication, how we react, respond, identify what’s going on out there, technique and then being able to turn it off and play the next play.

"Rip off the rearview mirror, do it from the first play of practice to the last play, or game also. The more guys you get doing that, the better you become as a team."

For this reason, Cignetti and his staff don't necessarily care who wins the drill. Indiana's players and coaches are competitive, and they naturally want to win each rep.

But at this point in the pre-season, Cignetti values the process more than the result. After all, if Indiana's process isn't improving, the standard isn't getting any higher.

"Are guys doing what they're coached to do? Are they doing it right and are they finishing and doing it with effort?" Cignetti said. "The defense isn't going to win every rep, and the offense isn't going to win every rep, and the players have to understand that, too. We're a team, and we're out there making each other better. And I think our guys do a good job of that."

The Hoosiers have a wealth of leaders to help Cignetti lift the bar. Senior linebacker Aiden Fisher, edge rusher Mikail Kamara and receiver Elijah Sarratt have been with Cignetti since James Madison University, as has junior cornerback D'Angelo Ponds.

Fisher, Sarratt and Ponds were each named preseason second-team AP All-Americans on Monday. When a team's best players are also its best leaders, success often follows.

Cignetti's core of former James Madison standouts — along with returning left tackle Carter Smith and Notre Dame transfer center Pat Coogan — form a potent leadership contingency with a strong blend of talent, experience and winning resumes.

Yet their most redeeming quality? None are satisfied.

"They know what the expectation level and the standard is and how we do things," Cignetti said. "Every year, you've got new leadership. The best leaders lead through their actions, not their words, and they lead daily. You've got to earn it every single day. We've got a lot of good leader-type guys on this football team.

"You don't need too many chiefs — you've got to have chiefs and Indians. But I like the potential for this team to develop the intangibles that become important during the course of the season."

Whether Indiana, with a more challenging conference schedule than last year, ultimately one-ups the best season in program history remains to be seen. But the Hoosiers have the talent and leadership structure to let minds wander.

And perhaps force Cignetti to lift his arm a little bit higher one year down the road.