From 2019-23, he coached four James Madison quarterbacks to conference player of the year awards. When Cignetti made the jump to Indiana, he guided Ohio transfer quarterback Kurtis Rourke to single-season program records in passing touchdowns and completion percentage, along with finishing second nationally in passer rating and ninth in Heisman Trophy voting.
Changing quarterbacks on a year-to-year basis is no problem for Cignetti. He excels at it, in fact, whether that’s adjusting his flexible system to fit a dual-threat quarterback or a pocket passer. In 2025, he’ll do it again, this time without quarterbacks coach Tino Sunseri, who took the UCLA offensive coordinator job after four years with Cignetti. But he’ll still have Mike Shanahan, his offensive coordinator since 2021.
The heir apparent to Rourke is California transfer Fernando Mendoza. Though we know from Cignetti’s first season at Indiana that any role – no matter a player’s previous success – has to be earned. Cignetti also added Old Dominion transfer Grant Wilson to bolster a quarterback room that lost Rourke and 2024 backup Tayven Jackson, who transferred to Central Florida.
Mendoza joins the Hoosiers after starting 19 games at Cal over the last two seasons, fitting Cignetti’s production-over-potential philosophy in transfer portal recruiting. In 2024, Mendoza completed 68.7% of his passes for 3,004 yards, 16 touchdowns and six interceptions. At 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds, the Miami native also rushed for 105 yards and two touchdowns.
