What Curt Cignetti Said Before Indiana Football's Second Scrimmage of Fall Camp

Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti met with reporters Monday following the Hoosiers' 14th practice of fall camp, which came one day before their second scrimmage.

Here's what Cignetti said during his near-nine-minute press conference inside the Don Croftcheck Football Team Room ...

Opening Statement

CC: Okay, rolling right along here. Making progress but never satisfied, and that is sort of the theme right now. So, let's open it up to questions.

On how the team is progressing heading into Week 1 next week...

CC: We are still in camp. We'll switch gears late in the week. Our focus is getting the offense, defense and special teams in the situations that come up during a football game and proven players creating depth and competition: who's going to be a one, who's going to be a two. Developing players all around and improving our practices and making them more clean. I see a lot of improvement out there, but it's still not where it needs to be. And, even when it's close you can never be really satisfied if you want to be great. So, you know, 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.

On whom Fernando Mendoza reminds him of and his biggest step forward...

CC: They're all different people, so they are all different. He has a skill set and you guys can evaluate his skill set during the course of the season. I am not going to give away any secrets. Of course, everybody has watched his Cal tape, so they understand who he is. He's a big guy that is very mobile. Got a quick whip and good velocity on the ball and can really drive it. So, he's done a nice job of learning the offense and still not perfect, but nobody out there is.

On how he's seen guys approach this year and set the bar higher ...

CC: I think a lot of the guys that were around here last year and enjoyed success, whether they were with Indiana in 2023 or came with me from James Madison or elsewhere, they're not satisfied. They know what the expectation level and the standard is and how we do things. 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.

On EJ Williams Jr.’s growth from spring to now…

CC: EJ’s got a lot of talent, he’s made plays, it's a matter of him keeping him on the field. Got off to a little bit of a slow start in camp, but I’ve really seen him pick it up probably since practice four or five and become a lot more consistent. He can be a playmaker and we’re going to need him to be a playmaker. 

On gauging improvement on success…

CC: We don’t really look at it that way. We don’t look at a body of work from last season and try every day to improve upon it. We try to improve upon yesterday’s practice or the previous drill or the previous rep. 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.

On evaluating offense vs. defense in fall camp ...

CC: I always tell the coaches — and they know — it's not who wins the drill. Are guys doing what they're coached to do? Are they doing it right and are they finishing and doing it with effort? But all coaches are competitive and they want to win the drill, they want to win the rep. But 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.

On an anecdote that stands out about Aiden Fisher ...

CC: I would just say he's completely selfless and bought in to the football team in terms of doing anything he can do to make the football team better. Whether it's leading through his actions, the way he plays, picking up a teammate, he makes all the checks on defense, helping guys learn the defense. He's a great teammate.

On kicker Nico Radicic saying he's comfortable from 55 yards and whether Cignetti is comfortable unleashing him more on longer kicks this season ...

CC: I guess we'll find out during the season. That's the answer to that question. ... I got a lot of confidence in Nico. We've been blessed with our field goal kickers the last five, six, seven years, and Nico is no exception. Lot of confidence in him.

On if he's still figuring out who will be Indiana's punt returner ...

CC: The punt return job, we've been working two, three guys. Little competition going on there. We haven't really determined (the winner). No. 1 thing is catch the football, make sure the ball is in our possession at the end of the play. And then use good judgement in terms of whether to play the hop or inside the 10 and then being able to communicate to the other players on short kicks, Peter calls, things of that nature. Everything after that, when he catches the ball, what he can get us, is a plus. Myles (Price) did a great job last season. I'm glad he's doing well with the (Minnesota) Vikings — I see he's made some big plays in the return game. And we'll see who trots out there the first game of the year."

On the biggest challenges Indiana has overcome this fall camp ...

CC: I think the challenges for every team are usually the same, and that's to improve as much as possible today. And to be consistent, to not be like that (motioning hands up and down), to always play up there (motioning hand above head).