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Curt Cignetti backs up Josh Hoover following jab from former coach Sonny Dykes

Danby: Daniel Hager04/02/26DanielHagerOn3

Just days ago, TCU head coach Sonny Dykes threw an apparent jab at former quarterback Josh Hoover. Now, Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti has stood up for his new quarterback.

Hoover spent four seasons at TCU (three as the starter), where he accumulated 9,629 passing yards and 71 touchdowns with 33 interceptions. He entered the Transfer Portal this offseason and ended up at Indiana, replacing Heisman Trophy winner and future No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft Fernando Mendoza.

Heading into the month of April, Dykes threw Hoover under the bus. He was discussing how turnovers have plagued the Horned Frogs over the past few seasons.

“I mean, I think you know that — look, numbers are numbers, and stats are stats. And I think you know, you look for us, and I think Josh started 31 games here as a quarterback, and we turned the ball over 40 – he turned the ball over 42 times in those 31 starts,” Dykes said last week.

“I felt like the last, you know, three years we’ve turned it over way too much, so we took some steps to address that. And, you know, hopefully we can be a team that doesn’t beat ourselves. And I think in college football now, the game has changed, much like it has in the NFL.”

Curt Cignetti sticks up for Josh Hoover after Sonny Dykes jab

During a media opportunity on Thursday, Cignetti was asked about the comments. He didn’t hold back and even name-dropped Dykes.

“I’m excited about Josh, first of all, let’s be clear about that,” Cignetti said. “He’s got a body of work in terms of winning football games, passing yards, and touchdown passes. Gotta clean up some of the turnovers, obviously, which Coach Dykes made light of. But, when Josh got here, he met his two new best friends: great defense and a really good run game. And he was never the same after that.”

While boasting about Hoover, Cignetti threw shade at TCU‘s defense and run game. The Horned Frogs ranked ninth in the Big 12 in yards allowed last season (378.7 YPG), and fifth in rushing yards per game (133.1 YPG). The words are certainly strong from Cignetti, but when you’re the leader of the first team in modern college football history to go 16-0 with a National Championship, you can say whatever you want to say.

Cignetti and Indiana have more than proven they can back up their talk with their production on the field. Over the past two seasons, the Hoosiers are 27-2 with a national title. With Hoover leading the way, IU looks to repeat as National Champions this season.