Curt Cignetti, Ryan Day share mutual respect ahead of Big Ten Championship

We’ve come a long way from Curt Cignetti saying Ohio State sucks into a microphone at Assembly Hall.

That comment, which included jabs at rival Purdue and Michigan, was made to fire up a home crowd and energize a moribund fanbase immediately after Cignetti’s hiring in Bloomington. It also served as a way of punching up and a statement on where the Hoosiers’ newest coach would like to take the program. Now, over a year into his tenure, Cignetti is significantly more measured with his words. He’s explained he felt he needed to create excitement upon his arrival, but now his program’s status speaks for itself.

Cignetti is typically effusive with praise for opposing teams during his pregame press conferences but reserved some of his most glowing comments for Sunday’s teleconference ahead of No. 2 Indiana’s Big Ten Football Championship game showdown with No. 1 Ohio State this coming Saturday.

Asked about Ohio State during a media teleconference on Sunday, Cignetti had the following to say about his counterpart in Saturday’s game:

“Ryan Day is a great coach,” Cignetti said. “He’ll be one of the legends of the game someday,”

When Day was asked about this remark later, he responded with praise of his own:

“Well, that’s quite a compliment,” Day said. “I appreciate him saying that. Not too sure what to think of that, got a lot of football to coach before any of those types of conversations.

Day spoke further on Cignetti’s upbringing, noting that he grew up in a football family. Cignetti is the son of Frank Cignetti Sr., a longtime former head coach at West Virginia and IUP and has a brother, Frank Cignetti Jr., who’s coached at the NFL and college levels. He related Cignetti’s upbringing to his relationship with his own son, R.J. Day, a high school quarterback like Cignetti was.

“He’s the son of a coach, and everything that comes with that.” Day said. “He just has a feel for the game. When you grow up around this profession, you understand what it’s supposed to look like, you understand people, you understand situations and that’s the way he is and that’s the way he coaches.”

Day noted that Cignetti’s coaching ability is reflected in how quickly he was able to turn Indiana’s fortunes around the fact, that he’s won at each of his stops as a head coach and that members of his staff have stayed with him for so long.

“I know people laugh about some of the comments he makes about ‘Google him’ and all that but it’s true, and he’s been around football his whole life. It just makes sense to him, he’s been around it. Been around winning football.”

The Hoosiers and Buckeyes will clash at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.