Indiana's offseason transfers detail what it's like playing for Curt Cignetti: 'I like Cig a lot'

Curt Cignetti is a polarizing figure, that’s for sure, but if you asked his players, they wouldn’t want to play for anyone else.

For those who’ve been with Cignetti and his staff for a while, they’ve gotten used to why they enjoy playing for them, but Indiana’s transfer additions have only had a short time to get a feel for what makes Indiana football special.

Roman Hemby, Kellan Wyatt and Riley Nowakowski are all transfers from other Big Ten schools and have expressed their pleasure with their time at Indiana thus far, with Cignetti being a prime reason why.

“I like [Cignetti] a lot. I like Cig, you know. I think I wasn’t sure about him, you know, just like seeing everything in the media, you know what I mean? Like it’s a little different. He’s an interesting character,” Nowakowski said after practice on Wednesday.

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The former Wisconsin Badger mentioned that he didn’t quite know what to expect, but Cignetti’s turnaround of the program in 2024 sold him in the transfer portal. Once he arrived on campus, Nowakowski admits that he now understands how the Hoosiers were able to win 11 games a year ago, citing the way Cignetti handles his players as a key factor.

“So that was definitely something I was just like, you know, I don’t know what he’s going to be like, you know, in person and around the team and everything. But I really like him a lot. I like his mentality. I think a big thing for me is he really takes care of the players,” Nowakowski explained.

Nowakowski hasn’t been around the program long, but he’s already gotten a feel for why Indiana was successful a year ago — but more importantly, why Cignetti’s system works. His words tell most of the story, but the grin on his face when he got to explain why he enjoys being around the program cemented the fact that the Hoosiers’ new tight end has bought into Cignetti’s culture.

It’s not just Nowakowski, though, as both Kellan Wyatt and Roman Hemby transferred from Maryland to IU and have experienced how Cignetti and his system are almost like a breath of fresh air.

“It’s definitely really different,” Hemby told reporters. He explained that Indiana’s practices are different from what he experienced at Maryland, with the running back recognizing that Indiana’s way of doing things really works.

“We’re out there for the right amount of time to get what we need to get done, hammering home in the film room and things like that. It helps us to play at our best, and we need to play fast in the Big Ten. I feel like coach Cig[netti]’s philosophy helps us do that,” Hemby added when explaining why he enjoys Cignetti’s system and practices.

Cignetti might be brash toward the national media, but inside his program he’s a coach his players enjoy playing for. Some may think his attitude would rub his players the wrong way, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. For Nowakowski and Hemby, it’s clear that the way Cignetti and his staff treat their players is reason alone to justify their transfer to Bloomington.

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For Kellan Wyatt, he knew right away, saying: “Once I got the chance to, you know, see them and be around them, that was when I really felt like this was the place for me.”

Wyatt transferred after spring ball, but in his limited time with the Hoosiers, he’s already realized how connected the program is. He got a glimpse of it when Maryland traveled to IU last season, but being around the program has made him fully understand what Indiana football is all about.

“I can see why it is special,” Wyatt explained.

Indiana’s selling point to these transfers may have been the success of the 2024 team, but once they arrived, the way of doing things has allowed them to fully embrace the program. Cignetti is process-oriented, and he runs his team according to that process. He prides himself and his program on doing things the right way, staying connected as a team and getting better every day.

From the way practices are run to how the players are treated, Curt Cignetti has made a lasting impact on the Hoosiers he’s coached at Indiana. While Nowakowski, Hemby and Wyatt haven’t been around the program long, they’ve already gotten to know and love being a part of Cignetti’s Indiana football.

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