Pat Forde: The 25 Most Intriguing College Football Coaches for 2026 - Sports Illustrated

Back by popular demand—or perhaps force of habit—it’s time for the annual college football Most Intriguing Lists. First up: The 25 most intriguing coaches.

He is the game’s oracle until proven otherwise, a miracle worker who was hiding in plain sight for years. East Coast bias is generally overstated, but it’s the only explanation for the New York Knicks winning the ESPY for Team of the Year over Cignetti’s 2025–26 Hoosiers. What Indiana did was historic on multiple levels: the first 16–0 team at the highest level of the sport since the 19th century; the first new FBS national champion since Florida in 1996; the team that took the losingest program in FBS history out of the basement and far beyond anything previously experienced—and so forth. Along the way, Cignetti’s quirky personality, penchant for punchy quotes and scowling in-game demeanor have made him the biggest fascination in football.