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In just two years, Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti has taken the Hoosiers football program from an afterthought to a genuine national title contender.
Meanwhile, former Penn State head coach James Franklin failed to get the Nittany Lions over the hump in big games despite 12 years’ worth of trying. So, why is it that Cignetti could accomplish in two years what Franklin couldn’t in 12?
Well, former Nittany Lions’ offensive lineman Landon Tengwall says it ultimately comes down to Franklin being “insecure.”
James Franklin And Curt Cignetti Had Far Different Philosphies
In a recent video circulating on X, Cignetti talked about THE “work smarter, not harder” philosophy he applies to both his team and his coaching staff.
Curt Cignetti has a fascinating philosophy…don’t waste anyone’s time, coaches not expected to work nights just get work done, limited practice to keep players healthy pic.twitter.com/584DNI1hG4
— gmannVOLS (@gmannVOLS) January 2, 2026
Cignetti said that he doesn’t like wasting the time of his players and coaches. He stated that he doesn’t make his coaches stay at the football facility late at night; he just asks them to be fully locked in during the hours that they are there.
He also said that his practices in the middle of the week last anywhere from an hour and 35 minutes to an hour and 45 minutes max. Meanwhile, he has walkthroughs on both Monday and Wednesday.
“I believe in keeping them fresh and healthy, and our players like the way we run the program,” Cignetti said.
Meanwhile, Franklin is the exact opposite. Tengwall, a former four-star recruit who medically retired after two seasons, said that his practices under Franklin often ran three hours.
The 3 hour practices fall right in line with doing 3 meetings and 2 walk thru’s at the hotel on Friday/Saturday. Insecure coaches are always gonna over do it
— LandonTengwall (@LandonTengwall) January 3, 2026
“The 3 hour practices fall right in line with doing 3 meetings and 2 walk thru’s at the hotel on Friday/Saturday,” he added. “Insecure coaches are always gonna over do it.”
Tengwall stayed on scholarship and around the Penn State program after announcing his retirement. So it’s a bit surprising to see him go after Franklin so publicly.
But it’s definitely not a great reflection on the new Virginia Tech head coach.