The Indiana Hoosiers made a few splashes in the last few weeks, firing longtime head coach Tom Allen after a disastrous 3-9 season. It then hired one of the hotter coaching names on the market: former James Madison head coach Curt Cignetti.
Cignetti had the Dukes at 11-1 this season after an 8-3 2022 campaign. He is no Jonathan Smith (former Oregon State coach, now at Michigan State), but the college football world agrees he did a terrific job at James Madison.
One piece of Cignetti taking over at Indiana is how he’ll handle the staff around him. ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg reported there is one assistant coach set to be retained: former Wisconsin offensive line coach Bob Bostad.
Bostad was in Madison from 2006-2011 as tight ends coach, run game coordinator and offensive line coach. He then was the program’s inside linebackers coach from 2017-2021, before Paul Chryst moved him to coach the offensive line entering the 2022 season. Once Chryst was fired, Bostad took a job under Allen at Indiana.
Most of Indiana's previous coaching staff is out, which isn't a surprise under a new boss (Curt Cignetti). But offensive line coach Bob Bostad is expected to be retained at IU, per sources. He has extensive Big Ten experience, mostly during two stints at Wisconsin.
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) December 2, 2023
Bostad is experienced along the offensive line, knows how to recruit the midwest and has a good track record as an assistant coach. Cignetti’s move to retain him with the new staff should prove to be a smart one.