In his second season as head coach, Curt Cignetti guided the Indiana Hoosiers to their first national championship with a 16-0 record, defeating the Miami Hurricanes in the College Football Playoff title game on Jan. 19, 2026, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

The Hoosiers opened spring practice on Thursday. Incoming transfer wide receiver Nick Marsh, who transferred from Michigan State, received a direct introduction to Cignetti's demanding coaching style.

Marsh arrived wearing gold cleats. After acknowledging the receiver's productive two-year stint at Michigan State -- where he totaled 1,311 receiving yards and nine touchdowns -- Cignetti addressed the footwear.

"I didn't love those gold shoes he came out in today," Cignetti said. "He learned what getting your a-- ripped is all about. I don't know if that happened to him very often at Michigan State. That was before practice started."

Curt Cignetti, hired as Indiana's 37th head coach on Dec. 1, 2024, previously led James Madison University for six seasons (2019-2024), compiling a 65-19 record including the 2019 FCS national championship.[1][2]

Quarterback Josh Hoover, a transfer from TCU, is among Indiana's key portal additions. Cignetti noted the coaching staff has "more work to do with this group than the first two teams."

Cignetti described the cleats incident as "a wake-up call," adding, "But he’s really worked hard, done a great job for us."

Sources

1. Indiana University Athletics, "Indiana Introduces Curt Cignetti as 37th Head Football Coach," December 1, 2024, https://iuhoosiers.com/news/2024/12/1/football-indiana-introduces-curt-cignetti-as-37th-head-football-coach.aspx
2. ESPN, "Indiana hires James Madison' Curt Cignetti as next coach," November 30, 2024, https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/42494750/indiana-hires-james-madison-curt-cignetti-head-coach