When Curt Cignetti was hired as Indiana’s 30^th head football coach on Nov. 30, 2023, he was asked the question every new coach at Bloomington has faced for decades: What would be his biggest challenge in turning IU into a winner?

“Change the way people think,” he said simply.

It was a short response packed with decades of obstacles. It was a blueprint of his mission, to transform the identity of a program long dismissed as a placeholder until the college basketball season. It meant confronting the chaos of NIL deals and the volatility of the transfer portal and turning them into positives.

It meant proving at a time when many veteran coaches are leaving the profession in frustration, an old-school coach in his 60s can thrive in the era of modern college football.

In less than two years, Mr. Cignetti has done exactly that. He has changed the way people think about Indiana football. No longer an afterthought, it’s a headline.

Ranked No.3 in the nation and undefeated at 6-0 (3-0 in the Big Ten), the Hoosiers are bonafide national championship contenders. IU hosts Michigan State on Saturday, a week after silencing Oregon with a 30-20 road win over the then third-ranked Ducks.

It was a signature win for Mr. Cignetti’s program, and validated a 11-2 record last year where his only losses were to eventual national champion Ohio State and runner-up Notre Dame. He was named the 2024 AP Coach of the Year and isn’t letting up this season after claiming Indiana’s first victory against a top five team since 1967.

“It’s a great win,” Mr. Cignetti said , “and it puts us in position, if we can continue to be successful, which means we have to show up to work as a team, humble and hungry.”

If many are stunned by Indiana’s quick turnaround from Big Ten bottom-feeder to championship contender, Mr. Cignetti isn’t. He has worked the same magic at his previous stops as head coach.

The son of a Hall of Fame college football coach, the former quarterback at West Virginia transformed Indiana University of Pennsylvania into a regional power from 2011 and 2016 before leading Elon to back-to-back FCS playoff appearances. He built a national powerhouse at James Madison from 2019 to 2023 where he went 52-9 and appeared in the FCS national championship.

When he arrived at Indiana at age 62, he exuded confidence, saying, “Time has come to make some noise and make a statement.”

Indiana is making enough noise to attract unwanted attention. When Mr. Cignetti’s name surfaced as a possible replacement after Penn State fired James Franklin, Indiana administrators moved quickly to make sure their coach wasn’t going anywhere. IU signed him to a massive eight-year contract extension this week worth nearly $93 million.

“His accomplishments during the last season and a half have been nothing short of remarkable,” Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson said. “As much as anyone, he believed in what was possible with our program, and he’s turned that belief into reality.”

Mr. Cignetti is happy to have his name removed from any speculation when a new opening occurs. “I’m glad we got this done,” he said. “I think it’s good for the program and good for me, and (for) our team to have this behind us, so we can focus on what we’ve got to get done.”

A coach since 1983 and a head coach since 2011, Mr. Cignetti is thriving when several veteran college football and basketball coaches have left the profession citing the negative impacts of NIL and the college transfer portal. Even those who remain in coaching grumble about the system.

The self-proclaimed old-school coach, who’ll be 72 when his contract expires, has embraced it. A pragmatic, he described NIL and the transfer portal as a new marketplace that accelerates rebuilding. He utilized the portal to sign 31 news faces his first year to change the culture of the IU program. He also understands the importance of a well-funded NIL infrastructure to attract not just good players, but the right players.

“I put a high price on character,” he said. “I’m a little bit old-fashioned. I’ll still look at a transcript and look at how many absences a guy has. You’re looking for a guy who’s got the ability to be a good player, but also has character, work habits, and will fit in. When you have a good culture like we do, these guys end up playing well.”

 When it comes to the University of Indiana, basketball has traditionally reigned supreme. But football is the talk of Bloomington these days. Who would have ever thought of that?