Lessons learned from Indiana's improbable run
Indiana's turnaround has turned college football on its head and outlined new priorities for team's looking to dominate the new landscape.
Video Transcript
I want to talk about the impact of this win, because we have been talking about it as a hypothetical for a few weeks now.
Sure.
And we talked about the impact of an Undefeated regular season, all these things.
Indiana continues to check off all these firsts.
Um, now that they've actually done it, let's first talk about some of the, The main reasons, not theories, but some of the main reasons, right?
So, let's start talking about the average age of the players.
Sure.
A lot of veteran guys.
Uh, how important was that to them actually getting the job done?
So I'll say this: I talked to Ryan Day after they went out of the playoffs.
And one of the things he mentioned was how veteran they were a year ago when they won it.
And how maybe they were missing some of that in their locker room.
You've seen coaches in the transfer portal this cycle value guys with experience.
Over a guy who has played a year or two, that was a four or five-star, but hasn't really done anything.
It, it is important.
This is a game, as we've said a million times, where you lose more often than you actually go out and win, and that's because you make mistakes.
And you have critical errors in critical moments.
And when you're a veteran, guys just tend to hold up a lot better.
When the pressure comes, they're much better.
They understand the situation.
They understand when to take chances, and that's what Indiana's been all year.
It's so funny, because we spent the entire off-season talking about Penn State.
Because all their guys came back.
And we were like, Hey, you know what?
That might be the common thread, Michigan.
A bunch of guys decided, "Hey, we'll put off the NFL for a year."
We'll come back," and they win a title.
Ohio State, Same thing.
That is getting old.
Yes.
That's old with experience and a lot of talent.
No doubt.
But we didn't realize how old Indiana was.
Yeah.
You know, at Media Day, people did talk about them having the most returning players.
The most amount of total starts returning.
Uh, but yeah, We kind of didn't put them in that same bucket.
No.
Than we did for Penn State, but that was such a critical piece.
As well as the fact that a lot of their core guys were still the JMU guys.
Yes.
And these are guys recruited to JMU, either played there or just followed Kurt Cignetti up a level to Indiana.
Another recruit that ended up being pretty impactful was Alberto Mendoza.
Sure.
Brought in Fernando.
Brought the first Heisman Trophy to Indiana.
They should cut him a check for that.
Yeah, they should.
They should.
Um, uh, but I'll say this, too, mentioning the guys from JMU, I don't think it's just the veteran nature of those guys.
This goes back to the old, "We want guys in the system for multiple years."
Yep.
Right?
And I think that's important.
The continuity with their coaching staff goes along with that.
Which we'll get into.
Yes, but I think, I think that... We talked about this a lot last year, and I think you saw the dividends more so.
Year, that continuity instantly sets a culture.
Yes.
It sets the way you practice.
It sets the way your meetings work.
Um, and it just teaches everybody else who's new, which they brought a lot in.
Last year, yes... A lot of new guys in the portal.
And it gets them up to speed a lot faster, and I think that also partially helped.
Supercharge this.
Yes.
It's everything about how they operate as a program.
And to have guys...
When Urban Meyer came in in 2012, Nobody knew him, so that was a full reset.
We had to spend the off-season How he wants to operate a program.
When you can transport guys in, They know what to do, and they can be in the locker room like, Hey, I'm just going to let you know, this is how Cignetti likes to operate.
So, do this, do this, don't do this, and everything should be good."
Other We have talked about as part of the keys to this turnaround.
Cignetti himself.
Oh, yeah.
Um, you know, he is a film junkie.
We like to talk about that a lot.
Because other coaches watch film, but that is his favorite thing to do.
Yeah.
He's talked about how he just likes to sit in That awful, ugly, turquoise recliner at home.
I like the recliner.
I don't.
I don't.
I'm with his wife on this one.
It's been time to get rid of it.
But it's a good luck charm.
Now they've won a title.
I don't think he can get rid of it.
But that is his favorite thing to do.
And he is so good at, uh, like identifying coverages, thinking up plays, Stealing, as coaches often do, from other teams.
And other coaches, but also very good at identifying the right players for his system.
Yes...
In the portal.
Because I know he can get, he can get a little dicey when you call someone Portal King or something, right?
'Cause Mike Norvell used to be that.
Yeah.
He kind of was... For Florida State, 'cause he had a couple of classes that hit.
But Kurt Cignetti is doing this with non-4 and five-star players.
Right.
He's just finding the right players and, You know, that have the right attributes, like the way they walk.
The way, like theiryeah... You know, their mobility.
Like their everything about it.
Yeah, like lots of little things.
Um, and I know that's gonna sound cliche or sound like something other coaches can do, but that is certainly a unique piece to him and how this works with because They have found the right pieces to the puzzle.
Yeah, I mean, To that point, I think anybody can say that they're a great evaluator when they Get the five-star who's got the skinny ankles and the thick thighs.
He's got the long arms and the, you know, broad shoulders and the big traps.
Like, oh, we're all great evaluators at that point.
But when you can take guys who were under-recruited, two-star recruits, and you can see what they do well, and you know how to put that into a system.
It's, it's... Fernando Mendoza is an interesting one.
Because I think some of us who watched him knew that he could become what he has.
But I also think Kurt Cignetti understood what type of quarterback fit into his System: Mm-hmm... And they didn't put him in a lot of situations.
Where he had to do things that were outside of what he was good at.
I look at that defense.
Aidan Fisher, that guy was highly productive.
I don't think they asked him to do anything he was uncomfortable with.
The same thing with Isaiah Jones on that defense.
He stepped in after not playing a lot at the beginning of the year.
There were injuries.
They didn't ask him to do anything he could not do.
Because they know so well the strengths and weaknesses of all their players.
And by the way, That's what good coaches do.
Yeah.
And, and they're, They're so well-prepared, right?
That, that's gotten them into... Oh, I think the team is walking by their family and friends.
I think something is happening.
Or is it Fernando?
Yeah, it's Fernando.
Yeah, it's Fernando coming down the tunnel.
Fernando coming out of the tunnel.
He's gotten a change a little.
A little, yeah.
He was pretty beat up in that.
Jersey before.
Oh, yeah.
A lot of grass stains.
He had that, that bloody lip.
The fans.
The men.
Oh, yes... Chanting about how much they love him.
It's amazing.
They also played Fernando.
Did youwell, There's Mark Cuban over there, too.
Oh, there he is.
Yep.
Uh, did you hear that they played Fernando over theI did not... PA system?
Amazing.
Yes, they did.
While he was doing his postgame interview with Holly Rowe, Uh, we were surrounded by people.
I know, because they're trying, all in our shot.
To get to Fernando.
So, we were just talking about him, Um, and how Sig identified him, right?
Yes.
And how all of these players, are put in positions for them to succeed.
They're smart enough to make sure that they're not making mistakes.
This is a team that did not lose a fumble.
The first game of the season, which is...
Which is astounding.
Insanity.
Um, you know, we've talked a lot when Fernando has thrown picks.
He has responded: Yes... Really, really well in game and had some of his Heisman moments in that situation.
Um, but also, so much of it, the conspiracy theorists came out because They were.
Like, this is a defense that is in the backfield a lot, right?
That doesn't...
There are not blown coverages.
There are not things that you see with a lot of these other teams, and I think it's worth pointing out.
Because you and I have been bouncing this off each other all weekend.
Um, and meals, and bus rides, and all this stuff.
I just think coaching is the most important thing in this era.
You obviously need to be able to do roster management and, Uh, you know, positional value and all those things that are now tied to rev share.
And NIL deals.
But I think for a long time, we have Coaches just roll out the more talented team, yeah.
And win most of their games.
You didn't have to win in the margins very often.
So, it's an interesting thing.
I'll start with this.
Our good friend, Jake Butt, who does a phenomenal job, Big Ten Network, he said that when you watch a magician, right?
You think that they're doing something insane, and in reality, It's just sleight of hand.
It's technique.
It's the fact that they know how to create the illusion for you.
And that's basically what these guys do.
Like, you think they're cheating because They're so good at what they do.
But when you're well-coached and when you're Well-disciplined, you go out there, and it looks like magic to many.
I think it's a greatit's...
It's a great comp.
It's a perfect analogy.
Now, as you mentioned, I'm fully convinced that being a recruiter is a secondary skill set now for college.
Football coaches.
You look at some of the staffs that were put Together, guys down South did it, right?
Urban Meyer, He would... One of the first questions he would ask is, Can you recruit?
Yeah.
Right?
And now, the recruiting is your wallet.
The next question is: Can you teach?
Develop?
Also, I'm sorry, how hard is it to recruit when You have lists and recruiting services, I mean... That tell you all the four- and five-star guys, and you're coaching at Florida.
Yeah, I mean... You're coaching at places to get that?
Like, they didn't have that.
That's what they were doing.
They, they were.
But they don't have a single five-star player.
No... On this Indiana team.
But that's kind of the thing.
It's like, again, you had to close back in the day, right?
Yeah, yeah.
You know all the five-stars, but you had to Close them.
Yeah, it's truly.
Now closing them.
Is, what's the deal?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Here's the check.
And also, this is what we do in the system.
And here's the scheme... And this is how we're gonnahere's what we send to the NFL.
And that's the part that's more important.
Yeah.
Right now, it's what they can do to coach guys when they get on campus.
Not just recruit players that are ready to roll.
