Alabama and Indiana have little in common when it comes to football.
For more than a century, the program has defined dominance in college football. At the same time, the Hoosiers have operated on a different scale, with success measured by progress, perseverance and occasional breakthroughs.
The programs never met on the ground, their histories unfolded on completely different levels. But when No. 1 Indiana takes on No. 9 Alabama in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl, there will be a sense of familiarity — at least for the two head coaches — as they look across the sidelines.
As he roams the West sideline, Curt Cignetti will face the Alabama program that gave him his first head coaching opportunity. Opposite him is Kalen DeBoer, who was once Indiana’s offensive coordinator.
Cignetti and DeBoer share many similarities in coaching style, but it’s their unconventional journeys from the lower levels of college football to Pasadena that capture the moment.
For the first 27 years of his career, Cignetti moved around the country in various coaching positions, but was given the opportunity to become receivers coach and recruiting coordinator for Alabama under Nick Saban.
Although his departure to Division II Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) seemed premature, Cignetti absorbed what he learned from the Hall of Fame coach and turned it into a blueprint for his own future success.
“It had such a big impact on my growth and development,” Cignetti said Monday. “I think the program that we run here, philosophically, is probably much more similar than different than Alabama.
“Without my time under Nick, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
DeBoer’s journey was much more linear than Cignetti’s. However, similar to Cignetti’s beginnings at IUP, DeBoer’s climb began off the beaten path. After a four-year career as a wide receiver, he returned to his alma mater, the University of Sioux Falls, in 1997 as an assistant coach. Promoted to head coach in 2005, DeBoer turned the Coo into a national power, winning three NAIA championships in five seasons.
Stops at Southern Illinois, Eastern Michigan and Fresno State ultimately led the Milbank, South Dakota, native of Indiana to his first Power Five opportunity.
With DeBoer as offensive coordinator in 2019, Indiana’s offense increased dramatically, averaging over 31 points per game and finishing in the top 15 nationally. The Hoosiers went 8-4 to earn the program’s first January bowl appearance since 1988.
That brief stop in Bloomington helped propel DeBoer to a head coaching role at Fresno State and then Washington. In Seattle, he reunited with former Indiana quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and led Washington to the 2024 national championship game.
Now in his second season at Alabama, DeBoer still has fond memories of his roots.
“Nothing but a great time there,” DeBoer said of his time in Bloomington. “It was short-lived, but one I remember.
“I think there are things you do that make you appreciate the moment you’re in, like having the opportunity to be here in Alabama,” DeBoer said. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.”
At Alabama, DeBoer assembled a staff that included former Indiana coordinators Nick Sheridan and Kane Wommack, both of whom he worked with during his lone season in Bloomington. Wommack, who initially suggested DeBoer’s name to Indiana when looking for an offensive coordinator, later joined him at Alabama.
“[Wommack] “It was a big part of me coming out there and trying to get me to Indiana,” he said. “I’m glad he returned the favor and came when I called him too.”
The road to Pasadena is unknown territory for most, but the structure of the trip is not for either coach. Both have navigated postseason paths far from the Power Five spotlight and learned how to survive multi-round playoff formats.
For DeBoer, that meant NAIA title runs in Sioux Falls. For Cignetti, it came via the FCS round at James Madison – four games, each more demanding than the last, all in the hunt for a trophy. It’s a task both coaches are comfortable with as they lead their respective teams into January football.
The Rose Bowl seats more than 75,000 – more than the combined capacity of Frank Cignetti Field and Bob Young Field. But in a twist as unexpected as the careers of their head coaches, these two programs now meet as equals on college football’s biggest stage.
The winner will continue his unforeseen path to immortality and take another unlikely step in a remarkable journey.
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