Curt Cignetti's contributions to the Indiana Hoosiers are highlighted as the NFL Draft approaches, showcasing their undefeated season and national championship win.
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Curt Cignetti appreciation week is upon us.
What, did you miss the memo?
OK, there was no memo. This is all very unofficial. That doesnât mean we should let it go unnoticed.
The NFL Draft in Pittsburgh will pull back the curtain on the remarkability of Cignettiâs Indiana Hoosiers going undefeated and winning the national championship.
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Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) embraces his family on the field Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, after defeating the Miami (FL) Hurricanes in the College Football Playoff National Championship college football game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) reacts after the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium.
Curt Cignetti led the Indiana Hoosiers to an undefeated season and a national championship.
The NFL Draft is scheduled to take place in Pittsburgh in 2026.
The NFL Draft is seen as a key indicator of the Big Ten's competitiveness, especially in comparison to the SEC.
Indiana's national championship win under Cignetti is a pivotal moment that emphasizes the program's growth and success.
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Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) lifts the trophy after the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium.
Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti holds up the trophy as the team celebrates winning the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium.
Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) is interviewed by ESPN personality Rece Davis after winning the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium.
Indiana Hoosiers defensive back Lincoln Murff (45) celebrates on the field Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, after defeating the Miami Hurricanes in the College Football Playoff National Championship college football game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti reacts after the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium.
Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti celebrates on the field Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, after defeating the Miami Hurricanes in the College Football Playoff National Championship college football game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
A national champions flag is is seen after the College Football Playoff National Championship game between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium.
Indiana Hoosiers defensive back Devan Boykin (12), wide receiver Elijah Sarratt (13) and linebacker PJ Nelson (30) celebrate after the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium.
The Indiana Hoosiers celebrates after the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium.
The Indiana Hoosiers reacts against the Miami Hurricanes in the second half during the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium.
Indiana Hoosiers defensive back Ryland Gandy (10) reacts after the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium.
The Indiana Hoosiers celebrates after the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium.
Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) celebrates with wide receiver Charlie Becker (80) after scoring a touchdown against the Miami Hurricanes during the second half of the CFP National Championship college football game at Hard Rock Stadium.
The Indiana Hoosiers celebrates after the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium.
Indiana Hoosiers defensive back Jamari Sharpe (22) celebrates with defensive back Louis Moore (7) after making an interception against the Miami Hurricanes during the first half of the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium.
Indiana Hoosiers defensive back Jamari Sharpe (22) reacts after getting an interception against the Miami Hurricanes in the second half during the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium.
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Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) embraces his family on the field Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, after defeating the Miami (FL) Hurricanes in the College Football Playoff National Championship college football game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
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Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) embraces his family on the field Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, after defeating the Miami (FL) Hurricanes in the College Football Playoff National Championship college football game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
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Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) reacts after the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium.
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Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) lifts the trophy after the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium.
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Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti holds up the trophy as the team celebrates winning the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium.
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Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) is interviewed by ESPN personality Rece Davis after winning the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium.
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Indiana Hoosiers defensive back Lincoln Murff (45) celebrates on the field Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, after defeating the Miami Hurricanes in the College Football Playoff National Championship college football game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
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Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti reacts after the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium.
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Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti celebrates on the field Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, after defeating the Miami Hurricanes in the College Football Playoff National Championship college football game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
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A national champions flag is is seen after the College Football Playoff National Championship game between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium.
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Indiana Hoosiers defensive back Devan Boykin (12), wide receiver Elijah Sarratt (13) and linebacker PJ Nelson (30) celebrate after the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium.
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The Indiana Hoosiers celebrates after the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium.
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The Indiana Hoosiers reacts against the Miami Hurricanes in the second half during the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium.
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Indiana Hoosiers defensive back Ryland Gandy (10) reacts after the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium.
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The Indiana Hoosiers celebrates after the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium.
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Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) celebrates with wide receiver Charlie Becker (80) after scoring a touchdown against the Miami Hurricanes during the second half of the CFP National Championship college football game at Hard Rock Stadium.
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The Indiana Hoosiers celebrates after the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium.
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Indiana Hoosiers defensive back Jamari Sharpe (22) celebrates with defensive back Louis Moore (7) after making an interception against the Miami Hurricanes during the first half of the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium.
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Indiana Hoosiers defensive back Jamari Sharpe (22) reacts after getting an interception against the Miami Hurricanes in the second half during the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium.
For many years, you could boil down the formula to winning a national championship like this: Out-talent everyone else.
Assemble the best players, put a competent coaching staff around them, and let that talent cook.
Nick Saban did it, better and more consistently than anyone. Then, Kirby Smart did it. Ryan Day executed that playbook in the 2024 season.
That makes Indianaâs championship such a zag to the sportâs usual zig.
The Hoosiers will be well-represented in this draft, but not to the level of champions past.
In 2021, Alabama tied a national record by having six players selected in the first round after going undefeated and winning Sabanâs seventh and final national title in the pandemic season.
Months after Smart won his first national championship, 15 of his Bulldogs were drafted, including nine within the first three rounds.
Thatâs not to minimize the achievements of Saban and Smart, or Day, whose 2024 Buckeyes dominated the playoff before producing 14 draft picks.
Talent assembly is the name of the game, and those coaches did their jobs.
But, Cignetti came along and reinvented what a championship team can look like.
Several Hoosiers are projected to go throughout the draft's seven rounds. But, Indianaâs representation wonât be on par with the output of teams like 2019 LSU, 2020 Alabama, 2021 Georgia or 2024 Ohio State.
Fernando Mendozaâs impact on the Hoosiersâ national championship cannot be overstated. The Indiana quarterback should go to Las Vegas with the No. 1 overall pick.
Wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. might go in the first round, too, and projections call for cornerback DâAngelo Ponds and wide receiver Elijah Sarratt to come off the board in Rounds 2 or 3. A few more Hoosiers will be picked at some point, too, but donât expect a draft bonanza to the extreme of national champions past.
Indiana didnât out-talent every opponent, but it outplayed everyone it faced, sometimes by massive margins.
Alabama sent 12 players to the NFL scouting combine. Indiana sent nine.
I donât need to remind anyone in Tuscaloosa of this, but the final score of the Rose Bowl looked like this:
Indiana 38, Alabama 3.
âJust solid across the board. Consistent,â Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said recently, when I asked him for his take on the Hoosiersâ success formula. âA lot of upperclassmen, older players.â
âThose guys executed, especially in the big moments,â DeBoer added.
Nobodyâs saying Indiana didnât have good players. It did.
Cignetti assembled a group of guys who were mostly overlooked as recruits coming out of high school. He developed them and created a disciplined squad that didnât beat itself, pounced on opponent mistakes and benefited from elite quarterback performance.
If you have a quarterback, you have a chance. Indiana had Mendoza.
If you have a quarterback and you donât make mistakes, you really have a chance. The Hoosiers led the nation in turnover margin. They ranked second behind Army in average penalty yardage.
Thatâs how you become college footballâs first 16-0 team without lapping the field with NFL talent.
Mendoza. Turnover battle. Penalty battle.
Oh, and Cignetti.
Mastermind, guru, genius, theyâre overused words in college football circles, but the label must apply to a coach that won it all with a team that had just a few players who'll hear their names called in the first two days of the draft.
When Roger Goodell comes on stage this week, Cignetti appreciation week begins.
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's senior national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why NFL Draft will make you appreciate Indiana national title even more