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Curt Cignetti or Kirby Smart
Posted on 7/9/26 at 10:37 pm
Posted on 7/9/26 at 10:37 pm
Not taking Cignetti over Kirby yet.
Cignetti has had 2 really good seasons, but Kirby’s consistency and ability to recruit and retain talent is outmatched.
Cignetti has had 2 really good seasons, but Kirby’s consistency and ability to recruit and retain talent is outmatched.
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Posted on 7/9/26 at 10:38 pm to FlyingTigerBo
Ain’t no fricking way Kirby wins a title at Indiana
Posted on 7/9/26 at 10:41 pm to FlyingTigerBo
Pete Golding!
Posted on 7/10/26 at 12:04 am to FlyingTigerBo
Both Cignetti and Smart were on staff at Bama and helped coach them to an undefeated season in 2009.
This post was edited on 7/10/26 at 12:05 am
Posted on 7/10/26 at 12:31 am to tBrand
Kirby could, I mean he is the best coach in CFB without a doubt. So would not doubt he could win titles at most programs. I would put Curt above Day, but not Smart.
Posted on 7/10/26 at 1:08 am to Gatorbait2008
Smart would not win at Indiana. Especially not in year two. He walked into an already humming program and kept it humming.
The question is whether Indiana's win was because Curt is that good, or whether they just had magic on a bottle based on the curated talent he brought with him, and he was just good enough to not get in the way. Time will tell.
The question is whether Indiana's win was because Curt is that good, or whether they just had magic on a bottle based on the curated talent he brought with him, and he was just good enough to not get in the way. Time will tell.
This post was edited on 7/10/26 at 1:10 am
Posted on 7/10/26 at 1:11 am to Gatorbait2008
quote:
Kirby could, I mean he is the best coach in CFB without a doubt. So would not doubt he could win titles at most programs. I would put Curt above Day, but not Smart.
Kirby Smart is at UGA. It is easier to get top players with one of the best locations to get top HS players. Indiana is a lot harder to recruit there with little top HS players around there.
Posted on 7/10/26 at 1:30 am to TrueLefty
I'd go with Smart, I think Cignetti rode a perfect storm with the portal.
Indiana is a P4 program, so it has a basement probably similar to Miss State or thereabouts.
Cignetti is a very good coach and built a beast (relatively speaking) at James Madison. When he went to Indiana, he got 13 players just from there to follow him.
So let's imagine you take an FCS power, that migrated to a G5 conference and went 11-1, then took that coach and a large group of good players bought into his system, and merged them into Miss State. And then also got the boosters to push heavy into the transfer portal.
Meanwhile you have other P4 teams suddenly going into the portal for quick fixes, instead of keeping and developing their own depth.
It balances things out a good bit
Indiana is a P4 program, so it has a basement probably similar to Miss State or thereabouts.
Cignetti is a very good coach and built a beast (relatively speaking) at James Madison. When he went to Indiana, he got 13 players just from there to follow him.
So let's imagine you take an FCS power, that migrated to a G5 conference and went 11-1, then took that coach and a large group of good players bought into his system, and merged them into Miss State. And then also got the boosters to push heavy into the transfer portal.
Meanwhile you have other P4 teams suddenly going into the portal for quick fixes, instead of keeping and developing their own depth.
It balances things out a good bit
Posted on 7/10/26 at 5:35 am to Scoob
Indiana has the largest Alumni base in the US and had no prior real success.... Their billionaires went hard into nil..... We don't pay anyone until they have proved them selves and while hungry for more title, UGA has had real success.... Nil is a passing thing once every one tires of overpaying the SEC will take control back
Posted on 7/10/26 at 5:51 am to weremoose
quote:
The question is whether Indiana's win was because Curt is that good, or whether they just had magic on a bottle based on the curated talent he brought with him, and he was just good enough to not get in the way. Time will tell.
LOL.
“The talent he brought with him…”. Think about that statement.
Posted on 7/10/26 at 6:04 am to New Money
Let's see how Cignetti does this year with a giant target painted on him and all the roster turnover. He doesn't have all his JMU guys.
The guy can clearly coach. I hate IU, so I want them to fail, but I'm not gonna be a total UK homer and ignore the obvious. He's got chops.
But youve got to be able to recruit and develop as well. Not saying he can or can't.....he's been there what? 2 or 3 yrs? Whatever it is. It's way too damn soon to be saying you'd take him over Kirby. Kirby has demonstrated long term consistent success.
Now if Cignetti keeps on like he has for the same amount of time Kirby has been at it then holler.
The guy can clearly coach. I hate IU, so I want them to fail, but I'm not gonna be a total UK homer and ignore the obvious. He's got chops.
But youve got to be able to recruit and develop as well. Not saying he can or can't.....he's been there what? 2 or 3 yrs? Whatever it is. It's way too damn soon to be saying you'd take him over Kirby. Kirby has demonstrated long term consistent success.
Now if Cignetti keeps on like he has for the same amount of time Kirby has been at it then holler.
Posted on 7/10/26 at 6:15 am to FlyingTigerBo
Cignetti couldn’t win consistently in the SEC. The downside of this conference is by the end of the season, UGA’s team is so broken, they play less than optimally in the playoffs. I think Indiana is gifted an easy schedule with a few tests thrown in so they can grow, but there schtick wouldn’t be the same if they were SEC
Posted on 7/10/26 at 6:26 am to FlyingTigerBo
quote:
Not taking Cignetti over Kirby yet. Cignetti has had 2 really good seasons, but Kirby’s consistency and ability to recruit and retain talent is outmatched.
I would not dump Kirby for Cignetti, but as to the question of consistency, Cignetti has won everywhere he’s been. IU is his fourth head coaching gig, and he’s taken all four schools to the playoffs and two to national championship games.
Posted on 7/10/26 at 6:27 am to UKWildcats
quote:
Let's see how Cignetti does this year with a giant target painted on him and all the roster turnover. He doesn't have all his JMU guys.
He just won a national championship with a bunch of “JMU guys”. Again, think about that statement.
Posted on 7/10/26 at 6:33 am to New Money
Literally re-read my post. He doesn't have them anymore. If he doesn't have a group of guys that came up together over years of playing together, can he adapt and get a bunch of transfers and newbs to coalesce. I spelled that thought process out in my post.
Is it a testament to him that he did it with JMU guys? Yes. Now he has to prove he can do it the "regular" way because that formula isn't going to work for him again since he isn't coaching at that level.
Is it a testament to him that he did it with JMU guys? Yes. Now he has to prove he can do it the "regular" way because that formula isn't going to work for him again since he isn't coaching at that level.
Posted on 7/10/26 at 7:30 am to tBrand
quote:
Ain’t no fricking way Kirby wins a title at Indiana
Maybe not. But I don’t know that Cignetti could have won B2B titles (and a play away from another) at UGA in the Saban era with conventional recruiting and roster construction.
All jobs and circumstances are different.
Jimmy Johnson inherited an abysmal 3-13 operation in Dallas in 1989 and won two Super Bowls in five years. Miraculous. He inherited a playoff team in Miami in 1996 with high expectations and couldn’t get past the divisional round in four years, losing 62-7 in his last outing.
Same coach, different circumstances, different variables. A wizard in one job, and a disappointment in the other.
This post was edited on 7/10/26 at 7:31 am
Posted on 7/10/26 at 7:31 am to Gatorbait2008
quote:
Kirby could, I mean he is the best coach in CFB without a doubt. So would not doubt he could win titles at most programs.
Kirby was considered the best coach in CFB for a stint there after Saban because there really was no one else, not because he was a Saban level coach. Saban didn't win one at Michigan State, Kirby for sure isn't winning a title at "most" programs.
Posted on 7/10/26 at 7:39 am to FlyingTigerBo
quote:Eye for talent. Make every penny of NIL money available count. No way Cignetti puts together that team last year without tons of money. What was the average age, 22-23?
Curt Cignetti or Kirby Smart
Posted on 7/10/26 at 7:47 am to ArmydawgMD
quote:
Cignetti couldn’t win consistently in the SEC.
He's winning in a better conference right now. If he took a step down into the SEC, why couldn't he continue to win?
Posted on 7/10/26 at 7:50 am to UKWildcats
quote:
Let's see how Cignetti does this year with a giant target painted on him and all the roster turnover. He doesn't have all his JMU guys.
Their schedule is compete garbage
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