Indiana Football Won’t Elect Team Captains Under Curt Cignetti

For the first time since 1951 and just the sixth time in program history, Indiana football will not have team captains under new head coach Curt Cignetti.

Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti speaks to the media during the Big Ten football media day at Lucas Oil Stadium. / Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Curt Cignetti mentioned at Big Ten Media Days a unique wrinkle he’s implementing in his first season as Indiana’s football coach.

Indiana will not have team captains. 

According to the program’s media guide, Indiana has had at least one captain in every season since 1952. The Hoosiers didn’t have a team captain in 1951 during coach Clyde Smith’s final season, and they’ve had a captain in all but five seasons since 1885.

While this is rare at Indiana, it’s how Cignetti has operated in his 13 seasons as a head coach at Indiana University-Pennsylvania, Elon and James Madison.

“Never chosen captains ever,” Cignetti said. “I put guys out in front of flex [warmups] and then when we’re done, they say something to the team before practice and then we practice. That might be the same three guys, it might be seven guys in a rotation. That’s the way I’ve done it.” 

Why?

“I would never want to choose captains early in the year and then the guy turns out to be not what you thought he was going to be and then you’ve got yourself a problem,” Cignetti said. “Captains is a nice term that was used a while back, but to me, it’s more important to have a lot of really good leaders.”

They may not carry the official title of team captain, but the players Cignetti brought to Big Ten Media Days aim to emulate that leadership role. Linebacker Aiden Fisher is used to this dynamic from his first two seasons playing for Cignetti at James Madison. He said it usually happens naturally.

“A lot of the leaders step up and they kind of emerge even in preseason workouts,” Fisher said. “Going into preseason fall camp, you kind of see who’s going to be leaders of the team. And by the time the season comes around, Cignetti kind of sees that and we roll with it.”

Fisher mostly played special teams as a true freshman in 2022, and then he progressed to an 11-game starter in 2023, leading the Dukes with 108 tackles and earning All-Sun Belt third-team honors. As he transitions to the Big Ten this year, he wants to be among Indiana’s leaders on and off the field.

“I think I’ve kind of grown and emerged into a role similar to that,” Fisher said. “Definitely trying to get to that point where my guys can look at me and know that I’m going to lead them into each game and into battle and be successful with them.”

Running back Justice Ellison represented Indiana at Big Ten Media Days entering his first season with the Hoosiers. He spent the last four seasons at Wake Forest, where he rushed for over 500 yards in each of the last three seasons and averaged 4.5 yards per carry. 

He wants to be a leader for the Hoosiers in his final season of collegiate eligibility, but he also thinks it’s important for everyone to approach the game with that mentality.

“I think everyone is deserving to be a captain on the team, it’s just everybody can’t have a C on their chest,” Ellison said. “But if I had it my way, I believe that everybody should be a team captain, to have that leadership role.” 

“Because as soon as you step on the field, you represent something bigger than you, and if you’re not living up to that level, you’re not being a captain that you’re called to be. So I do believe the young guys – if I had it my way, I would have everybody with a C on their chest, honestly. I think it’s because to be a successful team, you have to have leadership all around the field, and that’s just the truth.”

Offensive lineman Mike Katic was Indiana’s third representative at Big Ten Media Days. He’s been with the program since 2019, making him the longest-tenured Hoosier, along with safety Josh Sanguinetti and tight end Trey Walker. Katic has started 37 games, including 27 at guard, but he’s moving to center for his final season.

Katic was voted a team captain in 2023, and while Indiana won’t have captains this year, Ellison has seen Katic take on a similar role throughout the offseason.

“As a leader, you know when people respect you,” Ellison said. “You know when people truly look at you in a different way. [Katic] is definitely a guy who, every single time we go through drills, everybody’s looking at him to do it, start it off. That’s somebody I would want up front because he has that winner’s mentality. They haven’t had much success – and I know they had success in 2020 – but for the most part, I think he’s well-deserving of all the leadership roles that he has this upcoming year.”

Cignetti said he wanted to bring one transfer from James Madison, one transfer from another school and someone who played at Indiana last season to Big Ten Media Days. The three he chose – Katic, Ellison and Fisher – will be leaders for the 2024 Hoosiers, but Cignetti feels they won’t be the only ones. 

“The hardest decision I had was who to bring to media day,” Cignetti said. “I promise you I could have brought 15 different guys here that are really high character guys, great workers and have played winning football.”