Has Curt Cignetti always been like this? Players at his first stop as head coach, say yes. And they're not surprised by his Indiana success.

There are 18 active FBS head coaches that spent time on Nick Saban's staff at Alabama, including the two leading their teams in the College Football Playoff National Championship

When people ask, why didn’t Alabama hire Curt Cignetti to replace Nick Saban, that cannot be a serious question. You know the answer.

Two of the coaches still alive in the College Football Playoff discussed their lessons from working at Alabama under Nick Saban.

Indiana and Miami are scheduled to meet Monday night in the College Football Playoff National Championship, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. ET at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on ESPN and the ESPN app. Related: Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia Makes Career Decision After College Football Season

Cignetti has had an unprecedented journey throughout his coaching career. After working under Nick Saban for four years at Alabama and winning a national championship in 2009, Cignetti departed from the Crimson Tide to become a head coach for the first time. He moved down to the D2 level to coach the Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Kaelon Black (Salem High) and Tyrique Tucker (Lake Taylor) among the JMU transfers who helped transform Curt Cignetti’s Hoosiers into a national force.

Todd McShay is ready to put Curt Cignetti in a category of his own after leading Indiana to the national championship game this season. After back-to-back dominant wins against college football powers in Alabama and Oregon,