Curt Cignetti Continues To Stack Up National Coach Of The Year Awards

Curt Cignetti has won mulitple national coach of the year awards so far.

Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti talks with Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver Andison Coby (0) in the first quarter against the Western Illinois Leathernecks at Memorial Stadium. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

(updated Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 1:04 p.m. ET)

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – There are a number of college football awards – and Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti is likely a prohibitive favorite to win national Coach of the Year in all of them.

In the last two days, Cignetti has claimed three more major national Coach of the Year honors. On Monday, he was named coach of the year by the American Football Coaches Association. On Tuesday, Cignetti earned both the Walter Camp Foundation and the Associated Press honors.

On Wednesday, Cignetti earned the Eddie Robinson Award, another Coach of the Year honor.

Those honors gave Cignetti five national Coach of the Year awards. Last week, Cignetti won the Home Depot National Coach of the Year award.

Cignetti is the fourth Indiana coach to win national coach of the year honors. Bo McMillin (1945, AFCA), John Pont (1967, AFCA, FWAA, Sporting News, Walter Camp) and Tom Allen (2020, AFCA) were also honored.

Cignetti is the first Indiana coach to win the AP award.

The 11 wins that Indiana has had in 2024 is a program record, and it represents an eight-game improvement from the Hoosiers’ 3-8 season in 2023 under Tom Allen.

Indiana’s eight Big Ten wins are also a program record. The Hoosiers finished a game behind Oregon for the Big Ten regular season championship.

Cignetti is the first Division I head coach to start 8-0 or better in consecutive seasons at different institutions. He led James Madison to a 10-0 mark to start the 2023 season and pushed Indiana to an identical mark to begin the 2024 slate.

 Cignetti is the only Indiana coach to start his first season at 4-0 and is the only non-Ohio State or non-Michigan Big Ten coach to begin his career with a 10-0 record since 1936. Ryan Day (Ohio State, 2018-19), Urban Meyer (Ohio State, 2012), Earle Bruce (Ohio State, 1979), Bennie Oosterbaan (Michigan, 1948-49) and Carroll Widdoes (Ohio State 1944-45) are the others.

Awards still to be given are the Paul “Bear Bryant, Maxwell Football Club and Sporting News awards.

The Hoosiers travel to Notre Dame to play in the first round of the College Football Playoff at 8 p.m. ET on Friday. The winner advances to play Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1.

Related stories on Indiana football

• BRAND NAME BIAS: Despite being a close game on-paper, Todd Golden writes about the benefit of the doubt Notre Dame gets for being a national brand. CLICK HERE.

• NOTRE DAME DEFENSE IS STOUT: In a case of strength vs. strength, Indiana's potent offense takes on a stingy Notre Dame defense. CLICK HERE.

• INDIANA DEFENSE WANTS RILEY LEONARD TO 'PAY A TOLL': Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard is a centerpiece of the Fighting Irish. Indiana is focused on stopping him. CLICK HERE.

• HOW DOES INDIANA STACK UP? How the Hoosiers stack up statistically against the rest of the College Football Playoff field. CLICK HERE.

• WHAT CIGNETTI SAID: What Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti said during his pre-Notre Dame press conference on Monday. CLICK HERE.

• FREEMAN HAS PRAISE FOR INDIANA: Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman was complimentary of what Indiana has accomplished this season. CLICK HERE.