‘He’s actually exceeded what we thought’: Why Scott Dolson saw Curt Cignetti as ‘perfect fit’ for Indiana football

A 9-27 record since 2021, including just three Big Ten wins, made way for Indiana Athletic Director Scott Dolson to make a head coaching change and turn the page to a new era of Indiana football following the 2023 season.

Enter Curt Cignetti. A guy whose first impression to the Indiana football fanbase and the Big Ten was a simple quote — ‘I win. Google me.’ That clearly made its rounds throughout the Big Ten and college football community. But, it’s true.

13 seasons as a head coach and 13 winning seasons. So, that type of confidence — not cockiness — is what Cignetti prides himself on.

But, how did Dolson perceive Cignetti after their first phone call during the vetting process?

“I think this guy’s different,” Said Dolson on Thursday’s ‘Inside Indiana Football’ radio show when recalling what he told IU President Pamela Whitten.

Dolson hit the ground running after making the decision to move on from Tom Allen. That included ‘being on the phone from 12 to 11 pm’ on Sunday. But, that phone call with Cignetti held a lot of weight right away.

“I’ll never forget the first phone call with coach Cig,” Dolson said, referencing the 45-minute conversation. “When I was looking at my notes of all the qualities that we needed, it was like somebody had photocopied that and had given it to him.

“He was absolutely — everything I was saying, he was saying. It couldn’t have gone better.”

That list that Dolson referenced was a quality list of about 12-15 different points he wanted when looking for the next person to lead the Indiana football program. How did he come up with these? Well it was a combination of looking into how North Carolina, Duke, Kentucky and Kansas — traditionally power basketball schools — have turned their football programs around, as well as looking into the head coaches on the sidelines during successful years in Bloomington. That included the last 50 years of Indiana.

“All these different qualities, he had the blueprint to a tee,” Dolson said.

Saturday marks the long-awaited debut for Curt Cignetti at Indiana. After nine long months, the Indiana football program enters that new era with a coach who looks to continue his winning ways.

“We got to change the way people think about Indiana,” Cignetti said earlier this offseason. “We’ve been adamant that, look, we’re going to win and we’re going to win this year and we’re going to change the brand and the expectation level and the way people see Indiana football.”

From his early comments to this summer and this fall — Cignetti has been consistent in his messaging. And it’s a message of ‘win. win. win.’

“I’m at a place where a lot of people say they can’t get it done. I love that kind of challenge,” Cignetti said during his appearance on Next Up with Adam Breneman. “You only grow when you’re uncomfortable. I think this is such a great challenge that gets me excited because it’s so doable.”

So, as Saturday arrives — how has Cignetti performed in the months leading up to his debut?

“Everything he said he was going to do, he’s done,” Dolson said. “He’s actually exceeded what we thought.

“It has been even better than I thought. I like to underpromise and over deliver because we’ve got to do it on the field, but I’m really confident that he’s a perfect fit for us and is absolutely exactly what we needed.”