In just two seasons at Indiana, Curt Cignetti has accomplished what many believed was impossible: transforming the Hoosiers from a perennial Big Ten afterthought into a legitimate national title contender.
Indiana’s rapid rise has been one of the most stunning storylines in college football, especially when contrasted with Penn State’s prolonged inability to clear its final hurdle under former head coach James Franklin.
Franklin spent 12 seasons in Happy Valley building consistent success, recruiting at a high level, and keeping Penn State nationally relevant.
Yet despite that stability, the Nittany Lions repeatedly fell short in the biggest moments.
For years, the narrative remained the same: good, not great.
According to former Penn State offensive lineman Landon Tengwall, a difference between Franklin and Cignetti isn’t schematic or even talent-based.
It’s psychological.
Tengwall recently one of Franklin’s flaws was insecurity.
A recent video of Cignetti explaining his approach to his program of having 90-minute practices and fewer meetings so that Cignetti felt he wasn’t wasting people’s time.
“The 3 hour practices fall right in line with doing 3 meetings and 2 walk thru’s at the hotel on Friday/Saturday,” Tengwall revealed. “Insecure coaches are always gonna over do it.”
Franklin’s insecurities became associated with his approach that seeped into decision-making, culture, and game management.
Cignetti, by contrast, has coached with unapologetic confidence from the moment he arrived in Bloomington.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.His message has been direct, demanding, and fearless. Indiana plays aggressively, trusts its identity, and doesn’t appear burdened by the weight of history or external expectations.
That clarity has translated quickly to results.
Franklin’s tenure, while successful by most standards, was often marked by conservatism in critical moments and an apparent hesitation to fully embrace risk. Over time, that caution may have limited Penn State’s ceiling.
Cignetti’s success underscores a hard truth in modern college football: confidence at the top matters as much as infrastructure.
Indiana bought into a coach who believed, loudly and publicly, that winning big was inevitable.
Penn State, for years, waited for it to happen.
Two years versus twelve tells the story.
