RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesIndiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti walks up the field Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, during practice ahead of the Rose Bowl game against Alabama Crimson Tide at Dignity Health Sports Park in Los Angeles. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co
Indiana football head coach Curt Cignetti addressed the media on Monday as the Hoosiers opened Fall camp ahead of the 2026 season.
Here’s everything he had to say:
CIGNETTI: All right. Back at it. Day one, nobody got injured, the flow was good, the ball wasn’t on the ground. Watch the tape, make a few critiques, assessments, and move on to day two.
I think it’s a really important camp for us because we haven’t had the opportunity to get all of our people together. Had a lot of guys out in spring ball. The continuity, the guys that we think we’ll be counting on — now, there’s going to be a lot of competition. Anybody that can play winning football will play, but we need to get the guys out there working together.
Then with some of the new guys, the older guys, and a few of them were hurt, kind of get them assimilated into how we do things.
The goal is being to develop players, develop position groups, individually, collectively, develop the intangibles as we get closer to Game 1, and the team mindset and identity so that we’re ready to play football and play the way we want to play. So today was a decent start.
Q: With Stephen Daley coming back, obviously the courts kind of opened the door for players like him to return. What was that process like from your side to bring back a player like that, and what do you feel his timeline is to return from the injury he suffered last year?
CIGNETTI: I think that it’s a potential opportunity to get better. Nobody really has a crystal ball and knows what the future holds. Stephen would have been cleared for camp. He’s in pretty good shape. We’ll have a plan for his return to play. We’re not in a hurry, in a rush. We’ll bring him along, evaluate it day by day.
If it works out for him long term, I think it’s a great thing because here’s a guy — you talk about helping people and opportunities. Here’s a guy that played at Kent State and then came to us last fall. It really took him three to four games before he started to get the hang of it, wasn’t playing a key role, then became the most dominant defensive lineman in Big Ten, led the Big Ten with TFLs at 19, suffers the injury, so ends up not getting drafted and so on and so forth.
If it all works out and he can participate and help this football team, then his life could change. I know one thing about him, he’ll give it his best shot, he really will, and we’ll just see what happens.
Q: Just to follow up on just the idea of you talk about having a plan — and I know you’d never rush a player prematurely in general. But for him, how advantageous is it going into what looks like a pretty deep room so that he is going to have time to ramp up. He has a lot of depth around him, a lot of impact players and experience around him. You don’t feel like anybody’s ever got — even he’s got to press to get back too soon?
CIGNETTI: Whether we had really good depth there or not, I think the return to play doesn’t change a whole lot because you don’t want to throw a guy out there until he’s ready to where he gets hurt. There will be competition. Guys that can play winning football, they’ll play.
Q: Just for clarification on Daley, we saw him out there. He looked like he was going through all the drills. Is he 70 percent, 80 percent, what is he right now?
CIGNETTI: I don’t think I could put a percentage on it. He looks pretty good. He’s on a modified program where he’ll dress out for practice, participate in some individual right now, no 11-on-11, and then get with the strength and conditioning staff, who will bring him along until they feel confident he’s ready to go.
That could be — who knows? Practice four, next week, I don’t know. I don’t think it’s going to be real, real long because he was training to be ready for next year in the league, so it looks like he’s in pretty good shape.
Q: Is him playing in the opener, is that even a possibility?
CIGNETTI: I haven’t even thought of that. I’m really focused on developing this team and getting up there and watching today’s tape and putting tomorrow’s practice schedule together and taking this team as far as we can in fall camp. I haven’t thought that far ahead.
Q. Last one from me, your thoughts, just the defensive line overall, how dominant can they become in time?
CIGNETTI: We have guys that have played football that are experienced guys. You get better, you get worse, you never stay the same. You get out what you put in. I’ve got two really good coaches there in Pat Kuntz and Buddha Williams, and Bryant does a great job. So there’s a lot of TFLs and sacks returning, tackles, things of that nature.
Look, humble and hungry is the only way I know.
Q: What were your thoughts coming out of summer with the summer program under Tyson Brown. Do you like what you see, and how do the guys look?
CIGNETTI: Yeah, most definitely. I think we made some very significant strides. When you look at the numbers — GPS, body fat, vertical jump, things of that nature — the results really speak for themselves. Very pleased.
Q: What’s your opinion of going into a season not having to think about redshirts anymore? Does that kind of — how does that impact like your roster management?
CIGNETTI: I haven’t really thought about that either. I will say this, I didn’t think a lot about it last year either because if a guy could help the team win, ready to play winning football, you’d better play them because they could go in the portal year two or year four, year three. Now it’s five for five, so it’s a little different ballgame. It’s a good rule.
Q: Josh Hoover, what did you see out of him in day one, and what’s the trajectory for him going forward?
CIGNETTI: I was watching so many different guys, but it appeared that he finished practic...
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