Indiana University introduced Curt Cignetti as its new head football coach Friday. And as the Hoosiers coach explained his plans for the program, he managed to share his total disdain for recruiting websites.
Cignetti, who coached the past five seasons at James Madison, replaces the ousted Tom Allen. The 62-year-old Cignetti announced some of his plans to improve the roster, including a focus on high school players.
However, don’t expect Cignetti to get caught up in chasing recruits based on their “star” ranking on recruiting websites. While many college football fans frequent those websites to find recruit news, Cignetti said he doesn’t pay any attention to those sites and their rankings.
“I have never, ever looked at a star,” Cignetti said (via the Indy Star). “You really think some guys that put stars on kids knows what he’s talking about, compared to coaches who are watching hours and hours on kids?”
Ouch. But whatever Cignetti is doing in recruiting, it’s working. The former West Virginia quarterback posted a 19-4 mark the past two seasons since James Madison advanced to the FBS level.
Before that, Cignetti spent years as an assistant, including stops at Alabama and Pittsburgh. He then took head coaching jobs at Division II school Indiana University of Pennsylvania, then Elon (FCS) before going to James Madison.
Cignetti admitted that in addition to high school players, the program will also have to work the transfer portal.
“You have to engage with the portal. Because everybody’s turning over 30% of their roster now,” Cignetti said (via the Star). “If you don’t, you have no chance. But you build it with high school guys.”
As fans know, recruiting sites also rate the best players at each position in the transfer portal. It’s a good bet Cignetti doesn’t rely on those ratings, either.
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.