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Curt Cignetti Eviscerates TCU After Football Coach’s Salty Comments About Stolen QB

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© Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images


Josh Hoover will play for the Indiana football program in what should be his final college season. The veteran signal caller transferred from TCU in the offseason.

His former coach was critical of his play after being spurned. Curt Cignetti responded to those comments in a recent press conference.

He eviscerated the Horned Frogs while speaking to the media. He believes Hoover will be better because the Hoosiers are a more well-rounded team.

What did Sonny Dykes say about Josh Hoover?

“Numbers are numbers and stats are stats,” Dykes said in a preseason interview. “You look, for us, I think Josh started 31 games here as a quarterback and he turned the ball over 42 times in those 31 starts.”

The coach pointed to Hoover’s turnover tendencies. The passer led the Big 12 in interceptions thrown last season.

With that said, he was still the leader of the offense. His experience and production speak for themselves. That’s now gone. Dykes may be a little salty.

Hoover will replace future first-round NFL Draft pick Fernando Mendoza under center at Indiana. He takes with him nearly 10,000 career passing yards.

With Hoover at the helm in 2025, the Horned Frogs possessed a Top 30 offense nationally. They will now reset a bit with Harvard QB Jaden Craig transferring into the program.

Hoover, meanwhile, will look to lead the Hoosiers to a second straight national title. He’s upgraded according to his new coach.

Curt Cignetti responded to Dykes’ criticism.

“When Josh got here, he met his two new best friends: Great defense and a really good run game,” Cignetti said in a recent presser. “He was never the same after that.”

Indiana was strong on both sides of the ball last year. Its defense ranked second nationally at 11.7 points allowed per game.

The Hoosiers’ offense was third in the country in scoring, helped by a rushing attack that averaged more than 218 yards a contest.

Defense and run game were not TCU’s strengths. They finished 100th nationally in rushing and 73rd in yards allowed. Josh Hoover was forced to carry the load, which undoubtedly contributed to his miscues.

That won’t be the case in Bloomington. Indiana can win in a number of different ways. Hoover won’t have to make every play. There will be less pressure.

Curt Cignetti believes that will result in less turnovers and more production. If so, the Hoosiers will again boast a dangerous offense in ’26.