The “Google Me” guy did it again. Curt Cignetti’s Indiana Hoosiers steamrolled the Alabama Crimson Tide, punching their ticket to the CFP semifinals. With all that shine, the NFL scouts are bound to have their binoculars glued to him. A college football analyst just sprinkled some more praise on Cignetti, making him a sizzling prospect for the pro ranks.

“I don’t know if there’s a hotter coach at any level than this guy, said ESPN NFL analyst Peter Schrager on the January 2nd episode of the Pat McAfee Show.  

I’d be very curious to see if an NFL team picks up that phone and calls old Bloomington, Indiana, and just inquires that gentleman right there. Because I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a better coaching job than what this man has done.” 

Cignetti hasn’t just navigated Indiana to the CFP. He has flipped the script of the entire program. His turnaround work has been so slick that whispers are already swirling about potential NFL suitors.

Northwestern now wears the crown for most losses in college football history, racking up 718 defeats over 138 seasons. But it wasn’t always this way. Indiana used to hold that “honor.”

Coming into 2025, even after an impressive 11-2 campaign in 2024, the Hoosiers sat at 715 all-time losses, the most of any program. 

Before Cignetti’s arrival in December 2023, Indiana football was the king of losing. In 125 seasons and 23 head coaches, not a single one left with a winning conference record. The Hoosiers had only shared a Big Ten title twice, last in 1967. 

Decades of poor administration, lackluster recruiting, low revenue, and a basketball-first mentality had left the program in disarray. Then Cignetti flipped the script, steering Indiana to an undefeated regular season and rewriting the narrative. 

In 2023, Indiana had a record of 3-9. The Hoosiers were a joke. But one hire flipped everything in their favor. In 2024, Cignetti left James Madison and shifted to Bloomington. 

The Hoosiers have been on a tear, going 24-2 over the past two seasons, second only to the Oregon Ducks’ 25-2 for the best FBS mark in that stretch. Cignetti’s 24 wins also rank as the second-most ever for a coach in their first two seasons with a program.

Cignetti didn’t start at the top. Long before Indiana’s perfect season and CFP No. 1 seed, he was cutting his teeth at Division II IUP. After nearly three decades as an assistant, four of those under Nick Saban at Alabama, he finally got the keys to his own program.

And here came a full-circle moment for Cignetti. On the ESPN podcast, host Mike Greenberg said to Paul Finebaum that the Indiana head coach reminds many people of Nick Saban. 

“Well, he does,” the ESPN analyst agreed. “I realized the uniform was similar, but they played just like a Nick Saban team. They beat you to death and made you give up. And that’s what happened.”

While the GOAT flexes an NFL head coaching feather in his hat, can Cignetti do it too?

The New York Giants might consider Curt Cignetti to fill the $5 million empty seat

The hottest seat in the NFL right now is the New York Giants’ head-coaching gig. Brian Daboll got the boot nearly eight weeks ago, and Mike Kafka stepped in as the interim. Daboll reportedly received $5 million a year to hold down the fort.

When it comes to New York’s following head coach candidates list, it’s an all-NFL affair. College names? Zero. The Giants are circling league veterans like Mike McCarthy, Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, and Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, among others.

Schrager says Cignetti is the hottest coach across all of football, and that could prompt the Giants to rethink their college options. But time’s ticking. If the Hoosiers pull off a title, Cignetti could be primed for the NFL.

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And ESPN Cleveland’s Tony Rizzo thinks the Cleveland Browns should be circling him hard.

“You know who I want to coach the Browns? I’d take Curt Cignetti right now,” Rizzo said. “What a culture changer. Here is what you need for the Browns’ next coach. Number one, a–kicker, passive [Kevin] Stefanski didn’t work.”

Indiana is trying to bolt the doors, aware that the NFL is circling Curt Cignetti. The Hoosiers snagged their first bowl win since the 1991 Copper Bowl, and Indiana bumped Cignetti’s playoff bonus from $600K to $700K. More money’s on the table, but can it keep Cignetti from chasing the NFL buzz?