Cignetti Builds His Staff at Indiana

Curt Cignetti is quickly building his team of assistants in Bloomington.

One thing Indiana fans have grown to keenly understand in the last decade is the importance of assistants within a college football program, and how inevitably the most promising minds will shift programs. Look no further than Washington – where 2019 IU OC Kalen DeBoer is leading the Huskies into the College Football Playoff with former Indiana LB coach William Inge and former Indiana OC, QB, and TE coach Nick Sheridan – and South Alabama – where former IU DC Kane Wommack has led the Jaguars to two bowl games in three seasons.

Those two hires alone were great hires by Tom Allen, but he really struggled to replace them and found his assistant staffs shuffling around, particularly at the top in the coordinator positions. Allen also made a fantastic hire in former DL coach Kevin Peoples (2020-21), who is now a Broyles Award semi-finalist with Missouri. But what will define these hires during the Allen tenure is a lack of maximizing their potential because of the general dysfunction within the program. 

For example, the 2019 Indiana team that featured DeBoer as OC and Wommack as DC won 8 games despite owning one of the worst offensive lines in Power 5 football, led by then-OL coach Darren Hiller. And Hiller stuck around for the next three seasons. It didn’t take long to notice the improvements when Hiller was replaced by current OL coach Bob Bostad last offseason. 

Now, though, most of that staff is gone, as new head coach Curt Cignetti is installing a majority of his James Madison system into Bloomington. Several of his JMU staffers actually have connections to Indiana, and he’s bringing at least two of them along (the staff is not complete as I write this). Others are making their first jumps into leadership positions at the Power 5 level, which offers some uncertainty. But overall, this was a system at JMU that turned recruiting classes ranked outside the top-150 into an FBS national top-20 team, so why not add the components that Cignetti considered most effective? 

Most of the new staff have also been in fairly impressive graduate assistant positions, like Alabama, Ohio State, Pitt, Illinois, and Indiana, and that means something. For example, some programs allow more access than others, so in my time covering Ohio State, I was able to observe and discuss the roles of grad assistants on these staffs. Not every staff is the same, obviously, but at Ohio State, I saw current WR coach Brian Hartline work closely with former WR grad assistant and current TE coach Keenan Bailey. Aside from working with some serious WR talent, Bailey shadowed Hartline – obviously known widely for his knowledge of the position, his ability to coach and develop, and his recruiting power – and with that comes not only the experience and knowledge gained but also how to posture yourself as a serious program, in terms of organization, expectation, networking, assessment/evaluation, scouting, and so on. Now, Bailey is one of three finalists for the East Carolina offensive coordinator position. 

How did Curt Cignetti respond to staff turnover?

The short of it: Cignetti made hires that further elevated his programs, on both sides of the ball but especially on offense. 

When Cignetti left Alabama in 2011 for his first head coaching job at Indiana Pennsylvania, he retained then-DC Paul Tortorella, who had been in that position since 1995 and eventually succeeded Cignetti as IUP’s head coach and remains there today. But he also brought a Pitt graduate assistant by the name of Luke Getsky. This combo took a 6-5 IUP program and went 19-5 the next two seasons, culminating with a 12-2 season that ended with IUP’s best postseason performance in 19 years. Getsky, the OC, was hired away by Western Michigan and is now the offensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears.

How did Cignetti respond after losing his OC? He hired a young, uber-successful OC from the lower levels of college football Tyler Haines, who lasted two years following a decent 2013 season and then a serious dip in 2014, offensively (Haines remains a HC at the Division II level). Cignetti moved on and brought in Marty Higgins, one of the hottest offensive commodities at the Division II level at the time. Higgins was OC for Cignetti’s final two seasons and re-established IUP as one of the top-10% of Division II offenses, the way it was with Getsky (though SP+ doesn’t go back that far).

Then at James Madison, Cignetti named Shane Montgomery his first OC. Montgomery notably was the OC for late former Indiana head coach Terry Hoeppner at Miami (OH) before Hoeppner accepted the job at Indiana. Montgomery assumed head coaching duties at Miami after Hoeppner’s departure. Montgomery led JMU to the best and 15th-best offenses in FCS play and left for Buffalo. Cignetti promoted Mike Shanahan (followed from the Elon days) to OC in 2020, and Shanahan led JMU to the 9th-best FCS offense in his first season and then, upon moving to the FBS and the hiring of QBs coach Tino Sunseri, created the 34th- and 19th-best offenses in the nation. 

On defense at JMU, Cignetti hired Corey Hetherman out of Maine as his DC. Hetherman made JMU’s defense a top-5 defense all three seasons he was there and was then hired away by Rutgers as LBs coach. Cignetti promoted Bryant Haines (another promotion from his Elon days) to DC, and Haines made JMU’s defense a top-50 defense at the FCS level (with some pretty fearsome statistics mentioned below as well). 

Cignetti has also made a habit, as Indiana fans are seeing now, of bringing along his assistants he believes to be the most effective. In the transition from IUP to Elon, he brought Shanahan, and in the transition from Elon to JMU, he brought Shanahan (WR), Damian Wroblewski (OL), Bryant Haines (LB), Matt Merritt (RB), Ryan Smith (Safeties), and additionally James Ferguson (Director of Football Operations).

New Assistants Added by Cignetti

Mike Shanahan (offensive coordinator & WRs)

• James Madison (2021-23) - OC, WRs, Recruiting Coordinator

• James Madison (2018-20) - WRs, Recruiting Coordinator

• Elon (2017-19) - WRs

• Indiana Penn. (2016) - WRs

• Pitt (2014-15) - Graduate Assistant

There were only two programs in the country with two 1,000-yard wide receivers in 2023 – LSU and James Madison. Mike Shanahan is only 33 years old but already brings three seasons’ worth of coordinating experience to Bloomington, after Cignetti boldly named the 30-year-old his second offensive coordinator at JMU. Cignetti has spent a lot of time with Shanahan, dating back to the IUP days, so there is a lot of trust there.

James Madison has done a great job of developing passing attacks, but one of its weak points, particularly in 2023, was its offensive line. The JMU line ranked 122nd in line yards per rush and 101st in rushing success. Inserting Bob Bostad undoubtedly increases this offensive system’s potential. 

Bryant Haines (Defensive Coordinator, LBs)

• James Madison (2022-23) - DC, LBs

• James Madison (2019-21) - LBs

• Elon (2017-18) - LBs

• UC Davis (2016) - LBs

• Indiana Penn. (2014-15) - DLs

• Ohio State (2013) - Graduate Assistant

• Indiana (2012) - Graduate Assistant

• Adrian College (2010-11) - S&C Coordinator, DLs

• Manchester College (2009) - DLs

In Bryant Haines’ graduate assistant days, he worked alongside William Inge at Indiana and Luke Fickell at Ohio State, and in his time at James Madison, he coached Diamonte Tucker-Dorsey – a national No. 4,167 high school recruit in 2017 – into an FCS All-American who transferred to Texas. In 2023, he coached Jailin Walker to a top-10 LB performance in FBS play, according to PFF, and developed sophomore Aiden Fisher into a versatile playmaker in run defense and coverage. Read more about both of them here, as Fisher is in the transfer portal.

In terms of the entire defense, James Madison’s defense was rated 38th by ESPN SP+ and 26th by FEI – both adjust for opponents. The JMU defense also allowed the nation's lowest success rate and recorded the highest havoc rate. The numbers are quite astounding.

Tino Sunseri (Quarterbacks)

• James Madison (2021-23) - QBs

• Alabama (2019-20) - Graduate Assistant

• Tennessee (2018) - Offensive Quality Control

• Florida State (2016-17) - Offensive Quality Control

Jordan McCloud was not a stand-out quarterback. In fact, his best season before 2023 was 2020 (his sophomore year at USF), according to PFF, and he was graded 65th out of 80 QBs with 200+ dropbacks that year. He is graded 12th this year and claimed Sun Belt Player of the Year. 

Todd Centeio also spent his final year at James Madison and recorded his best career season, grading 9th in the nation following his best previous season graded 46th. 

At Alabama, Sunseri was there with the offensive staff as they coached and developed Mac Jones, Bryce Young, and both Tagovailoa brothers. Even though he doesn’t bring a lot of experience, he brings a lot of quality experience. 

John Miller (Running Backs)

• James Madison (2021-23) - RBs

• Texas (2019-20) - Quality Control (WR/TE)

• East Carolina (2019) - Graduate Assistant (spring)

• James Madison (2018) - Graduate Assistant

I was curious, once Cignetti was named head coach, if he would bring John Miller along with him. Miller was most notably an offensive quality control assistant with Texas and worked with WRs in that time. He played WR at JMU and was a good kick returner – he scored 5 rushing TDs, 5 receiving TDs, and 2 return TDs at JMU as a player. Miller is also a solid recruiter, like most of the staff Cignetti has brought along. But perhaps the biggest knock on Miller is his lack of experience.

In Miller’s time at JMU, the 2020-21 spring RB room ranked 6th in the FCS in yards per game (262), 2022 lead RB Percy Agyei-Obese was 41st nationally in yards per carry (5.7) and is regarded as one of the best RBs in program history, and 2023 RB duo Kaelon Black and Ty’Son Lawton combined for 1,162 yards on the ground. JMU’s OL was not impressive this year, which might have influenced the use of RBs, but JMU targeted RBs in the passing game more than any team in the Sun Belt, as both RBs combined for 65 targets. The next-closest RB (100+ carries) had 38 targets.

Grant Cain (Tight Ends, Special Teams Coordinator)

• James Madison (2019-23) - Assistant Head Coach, TEs, STC

• Mercer (2017-18) - Assistant Head Coach, ILBs, STC

• Mercer (2013-16) - ILBs, STC, Recruiting Coordinator

• Coastal Carolina (2010-12) - DEs

• Coastal Carolina (2009) - OLBs

• Coastal Carolina (2008) - DEs

• Coastal Carolina (2007) - OLBs

• Coastal Carolina (2005-06) - Graduate Assistant

Grant Cain has seen his coaching career take many twists and turns, as displayed above, but he’s garnered plenty of trust from leadership wherever he’s been. Once he joined Mercer’s staff, the Bears’ special teams unit jumped to a respectable level in the FCS. At James Madison, the Dukes ranked 11th in field goal percentage, 2nd in punts inside the 20 (93rd in net punt yardage), 68th in average starting field position on kickoffs, and – importantly to Indiana fans – the 40th-best punt return grade. 

Tight ends, special teams, and recruiting are all areas Indiana needs to improve, so Cain will be a crucial member of the staff immediately. He’s already been involved in recruiting, as Indiana re-offered Brody Kosin in the 2024 class. Kosin was recently offered by Texas.

Pat Kuntz (Defensive Line)

• James Madison (2022-23) - DLs

• Virginia Military Institute (2019-21) - DLs

• Indiana (2016-18) - Graduate Assistant

• Roncalli HS (2010-16)

Pat Kuntz, the former Roncalli HS star, Notre Dame nose tackle, Indianapolis Colt, and Indiana grad assistant, was a bit of an interesting add after various reactions to things like this. But his defensive line’s performance at James Madison can’t be denied. The front seven recorded the second-highest havoc rate of any defense in the country, and Kuntz’s top four linemen combined for 37 sacks and 58 TFLs. After working with Kuntz, Jalen Green (15.5 sacks, 21.0 TFLs) suddenly seems destined for a shot at the NFL and Jamree Kromah (10.0 sacks, 19.5 TFLs) seems rejuvenated after beginning his career at Rutgers. Tyrique Tucker (1.5 sacks, 4.5 TFLs) and Mikail Kamara (7.5 sacks, 18.5 TFLs) are also guys to keep an eye on in the portal with years of eligibility remaining. 

Buddha Williams (Defensive Ends)

• Colorado State (2022-23) - DLs

• North Dakota State (2017-21) - DEs

• Tennessee-Martin (2016) - DLs

• Illinois (2014-15) - Graduate Assistant

• Ohio (2012-13) - Graduate Assistant

• Ashland (2011) - Graduate Assistant

• Charleston (2010) - LBs

Indiana desperately needs a pass rush. Even adding Andre Carter and Lanell Carr didn’t make the Hoosier pass rush fearsome. But Buddha Williams has experience developing good pass rushers. Colorado State DE Mohamed Kamara was graded 6th among all DEs in pass rush by PFF. Kamara saw a noticeable jump when Williams joined the Rams staff in 2022 and totaled 21.5 sacks and 33.0 TFLs with Williams. 

Ola Adams (Defensive Backs)

• Detroit Lions (2023) - Defensive Analyst

• Penn State (2023) - Defensive Analyst (DBs)

• Denver Broncos (2022) - Defensive Assistant (DBs)

• Villanova (2019-21) - DC, DBs

• Villanova (2017-18) - CBs, STC

• Villanova (2015-16) - RBs

• Columbia (2014) - WRs

• Cortland State (2011-13) - Assistant Head Coach, DC

• Glenville State (2010) - DBs

If you read enough about Ola Adams, it’s pretty clear that he is well-regarded by Penn State’s program and fans. Also, he apparently accepted a job with the Detroit Lions before the 2023 season. From 2019-21, Pro Football Focus ranked Adams’ Villanova defenses 24th, 90th, and 11th at the FCS level. Adams also has deep recruiting ties to the DMV, which is crucial to a Curt Cignetti staff.

Derek Owings (Strength & Conditioning Coordinator)

• James Madison (2020-23) - S&C Coordinator

• Texas Tech (2019) - S&C Assistant (WRs, RBs, TEs, LBs, DBs)

• UCF (2018) - S&C Assistant (WRs, RBs, DBs, Specialists)

• Utah State (2016-17) - S&C Graduate Assistant

• Mercer (Summer 2016) - S&C Intern

• Michigan (Summer 2015) - S&C Intern

Assistant Salary Pool

One thing I’ll be keeping a close eye on whenever Curt Cignetti’s contract details are reported is the assistant salary pool. Indiana has never had a reputation for paying its assistants even the average salary, so I wouldn’t necessarily expect that in 2024. However, Indiana has shown a clear interest in investing in football – signaled by the hiring of Cignetti, buying out Tom Allen’s contract for $15.5 million, and offering a $3 million NIL boost for Cignetti’s first season – and one of the first notes Cignetti made in his introductory press conference was that Indiana will not “self-impose limitations” for the growth of the program (he said this twice). 

Assistant salary pools have been rising exponentially across all conferences, but in the Big Ten the average was around $6 million in 2023. Indiana offered $4.8 million. That’s comparable to Purdue ($4.9 million) and Maryland ($5.1 million) and only tops Minnesota ($4.6 million) in the Big Ten.

Below, I compared how Indiana dispersed its assistant salary pool to how Maryland and Purdue dispersed theirs (strength coaches are not included in the salary pool).

Indiana

Purdue

Maryland

Source: USA Today

Some observations:

• Indiana paid its coordinators less than any other Big Ten program. Rod Carey was famously paid more than any previous offensive coordinator in program history, yet that $815k was less than Maryland and Purdue’s lowest-paid coordinators ($850k).

• Chad Wilt was paid a hefty amount for what must have been reasons unseen by the general public (such as scouting and gameplanning) because Matt Guerreri was the DC and Tom Allen, to my knowledge, continued helping with LBs.

• That Aaron Wellman hire didn’t pan out. Other than the salary itself, there was little outside indication that Indiana was paying its S&C Coordinator the 7th-most in the nation, which is a shame given the anticipation around that type of football investment from the athletic department in early-2020. That hire, and the degradation from the Ballou and Rhea days, really hurt the rest of Allen’s tenure in Bloomington. The new S&C Coordinator, Derek Owings, made $149k at James Madison this year.

• James Madison’s highest-paid assistant in 2023 was DC Bryant Haines, at $189k. That signals a few things to me: 1.) Cignetti knows how to stretch a dollar, 2.) Cignetti knows how to replace coaches when they leave and identify young coaching talent, 3.) these new JMU staffers making the move to IU are getting big pay increases while also keeping the assistant pool affordable in the beginning, and 4.) Given the wiggle room Cignetti might have with this assistant pool, he could potentially bring in some really talented coaching muscle for the price, with his network of connections in crucial college football spaces.

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