​Jul 30, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Indiana Football head coach Curt Cignetti speaks during Big Ten Media Days at Hilton Chicago. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Indiana football head coach Curt Cignetti addressed the media at Big Ten Media Days on Thursday afternoon in Chicago, Illinois. He was asked aboutHere’s what Cignetti had to say:CIGNETTI: End of Big Ten Media Day; everybody ready to get out of here and get home? Guess not.It’s great to be up here today on two feet and still be on the roster, year 44. Really looking forward to the season. Anxious to get to camp.First of all, I’d like to thank Tony Petitti for his tremendous leadership in the Big Ten. He is a great leader, navigating this conference through some difficult times and continuing to grow and build the brand.I’d like to also thank Pam Whitten and Scott Dolson, our president and athletic director, who have been behind us lock, stock and barrel, committed 100 percent.I formed a relationship with President Whitten and Scott in about 48 hours and had to make a decision on whether to take this job. I had such a strong feeling about both of them, we decided to make the move. As everybody knows, nothing great happens without commitment from the top.I’d also like to thank our fans who have grown and multiplied and turned out in record numbers for the College Football Playoff. We probably had 75 percent of the people out there for the Rose Bowl, about 95 percent for the Peach Bowl, and for the National Championship on the opponent’s home field we probably had about 60 percent there. We probably can’t expand the stadium soon enough, but those kind of things take time.I thought we took some necessary steps forward last season in year two. We beat six top-10 teams, beat the No. 1 ranked team, No. 2, No. 2, No. 3, No. 8 and No. 9, six top-10 wins.I think the Oregon game on the road was the first against a top-5 team on the road ever. We also had five fourth-quarter wins, four on the road. When you look at Iowa, Oregon, Penn State, Ohio State and — I don’t know, maybe Miami was the other one.It’s a great conference. Got a lot of respect for the head coaches and the programs in this conference. There’s great coaches top to bottom. A lot of programs are getting better.I’m anxious to get to camp. We had a good spring, but when you play 16 games, you come out of a season like that, you have some postseason surgeries, you’ve got some new portal guys that show up that have worked on it at their prior institution. So I’m really anxious to get the team together for the first time and develop them.I think we have a lot of nice pieces. I think we excel at development and creating the intangibles, and once we get closer to the season as a staff, it’s extremely beneficial. The staff continuity that I have had, that President Whitten and Scott Dolson make possible, we’re on the same page. They know the blueprint, the process,