In just two years at Indiana, Curt Cignetti turned a basketball-loving program into a national title contender in college football. No one expected his tenure to become this good, this soon, when he left James Madison for Bloomington. That has naturally increased curiosity in the Nick Saban discipline, and it isn’t just coming from college ranks. But would it be wise to go to the pros?

Cignetti is being connected to none other than the Las Vegas Raiders. Former GM Mike Tannenbaum floated around the idea that the Raiders, who are fresh off firing Pete Carroll after just one season and landing the No. 1 overall pick, could push for Cignetti. This pitch comes with a dual benefit: an NFL head coaching job and the opportunity to reunite with Fernando Mendoza, who is becoming a favorite to go first overall.

On the January 7 episode of Pardon the Interruption, hosts Tony Kornheiser and Mike Wilbon spoke out against the idea.

“They’re [Raiders] broken. They’re broken. The whole infrastructure is broken…. And I don’t know that Cignetti, as good a coach as he is on the college level, can fix what’s broken with the Raiders at the pro level,” Wilbon said.

And where is the lie? The team is in a downward spiral, barely scraping together three wins and ending up with the worst record in the league.

All this happened in the same year they got Geno Smith and Pete Carroll to steady their boat a little. Their owner is someone who doesn’t give people a chance at all and doesn’t seem to have any patience. Since 2018, he has churned through Jon Gruden, Rich Bisaccia, Josh McDaniels, Antonio Pierce, and now Pete Carroll.

So, isn’t asking Mendoza, who is fresh off a Heisman-winning season at Indiana and likely a first pick and a stellar college football head coach, a massive ask? It’s a gamble, honestly, and a bad idea, as PTI podcast hosts mentioned. But is there a chance that Cignetti bites the bullet? Well, there is always a chance.

You see, if you look at the history, Curt Cignetti is not someone who is held back by the pin code. He doesn’t stay a one place for long. From his success in the lower division at James Madison to now transforming Indiana into a power, his career has demonstrated his potential. He believes in this momentum, and, sure, college football now gives him stability and fame, but the next step, of course, is the NFL. But he has also made it clear that he’s going to stay with the Hoosiers.

How Curt Cignetti is quietly dominating the transfer portal

Hoosiers are not just winning; they look like the destination that players are circling in red to go to. This is the same team that has been known as a basketball-first campus, so the shift is huge. Curt Cignetti made Indiana desirable to the players, and the transfer portal tells the story better than anything else.

On Monday, Kansas State edge rusher Chiddi Obiazor committed to Indiana, giving the Hoosiers the defender they were looking for. At 6’6″ and 275 lb., he brings the build, the motor, and real production: 47 tackles, six sacks, and four pass deflections. Additionally, he has two years of eligibility remaining. He is exactly what the Hoosiers were looking for, and Cignetti ensured they got him.

But the more fascinating portal win came on offense. Nick Marsh officially committed to Indiana over the weekend, transferring from Michigan State. And if you turn back the clock, you can actually see the exact moment that Cignetti might have decided on this player. So, Marsh had scored against Indiana in Bloomington, and Cignetti’s reaction was amusing—he was part frustrated, part curious, and his expressions reeked of admiration, too.

Marsh didn’t just score; he worked Indiana’s defense—seven catches, sixty-four yards—so he gave them constant problems. This was no one-game fluke, because the 203-pound receiver has hauled in 100 catches for over 1300 yards and nine touchdowns across two seasons at Michigan.

Now, when the Spartans moved on from Jonathan Smith, Marsh hit the portal, and Indiana didn’t hesitate to go grab him.