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James Madison head football coach Curt Cignetti is reportedly finalizing terms to accept the same position at the University of Indiana, a source with knowledge of the deal confirmed to ESPN's Adam Rittenberg.
"Source: Indiana is finalizing terms with James Madison coach Curt Cignetti to become the next IU coach," Rittenberg wrote on his X account. "James Madison has set a team meeting regarding Cignetti, per source."
Cignetti, 62, the 2023 Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year, led James Madison to an 11-1 (7-1 Sun Belt) record in 2023 -- the program's second season as a Division I FBS team -- as well as a winning record in all five seasons as the Dukes' head coach, which also included three consecutive Colonial Athletic Association titles during his first three seasons and two consecutive Sun Belt East Division titles during his last two seasons.
James Madison is ineligible for the Sun Belt Conference title game as it is within its first two years of a transition from the FCS to FBS level in adherence with NCAA. The Dukes were also initially prohibited from appearing in a bowl game, however, were later allowed due to the lack of bowl-eligible FBS teams. Cignetti has a 52-9 overall record as a head coach, which includes stints at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (2011-16) and Elon (2017-18).
Cignetti's reported hiring comes days after Indiana fired former head coach Tom Allen on Sunday (November 26) following the Hoosiers' third consecutive losing season.