Goodman: Cignetti enrages, motivates Alabama booster

Alabama FootballIndiana coach Curt Cignetti speaks to the media during the Champions News Conference at JW Marriott Marquis Miami on January 20, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)Getty ImagesBy Joseph Goodman | jgoodman@al.comThis is an opinion column.Big-talking Indiana coach Curt Cignetti has it coming, or so says an Alabama booster. Based on Alabama’s track record in football, I’m not inclined to disagree.We’re rushing into fall camp with a spicy mailbag. This week, readers remind us why Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer makes the big bucks. Plus, Alabama’s offense is already the subject of concern. But, first up, a booster responds to Indiana’s Cignetti, whose gasconading Midwesterner mouth trumpet is still ringing in our Southern ears.Steve in Thach, Ala., writes …Cignetti will soon find out that in the natural evolution of things, his quick-found, totally badass success will last only a little while until his version of gaming the system is out-gamed. I’m proud to be an NIL collective contributor to help him along to his just desserts, but defend to the death his right to be a horse’s pa-toot.James writes …Now you’re smitten with Coach Curt. Shocking that jerks attract each other, ain’t it?Jim in Virginia writes …Kalen DeBoer is paid to put the best players he can for the offense and defense. There shouldn’t be favoritism at any position.I hope we have learned to block on the offensive line. If we are unable to run the ball and/or keep the quarterback standing and not running for his life, it will be a long season. I also think it will give us a good idea how good the offensive scheme is. I am not sold on offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb yet. He was fired from Seattle because they couldn’t run the ball. He just wanted to throw it around.I have been watching old Bama football games, and the last two and three years our O-line and D-line haven’t been as physical as in years past. We need to be a more physical team rather than a finesse offense and defenseGeorge in Birmingham writes …Excellent column. I have followed the whole Julian Sayin saga very closely. Good for him. Bad for us. But you missed an important point with Austin Mack. On a full-ride scholarship at Washington and Alabama, he graduated with a degree major in Management at age 20. Is that not the main purpose of the NCAA “student-athlete”? And now graduate school. ANSWER: I’m not ashamed to call myself a Curt Cignetti fanboy. I just wish he were coaching for Alabama instead of pile driving Alabama into the dirt.Would Alabama fans trade Cignetti for current coach Kalen DeBoer? I don’t think I need to run an online fan poll to know the answer to that question.Still, why not? Let’s get frisky.We’ll run the poll results later this week.Meanwhile, Cignetti is the SEC’s new daddy after he popped off at Big Ten media days about Midwestern values. What are Midwestern values? No clue, but I think they include lots of cheese and beer.Cignetti was taking shots at the South, of course, and that’s his right after Indiana’s historic 38-3 victory against Alabama in the Rose Bowl. It was Alabama’s worst bowl loss in school history, and Cignetti, a former Alabama assistant under Nick Saban, has been pumping his chest out all summer long.Will Cignetti’s big mouth and even bigger ego motivate Alabama boosters to open up their wallets? That’s one of my biggest questions heading into this season. I’ve been told that major Alabama football backers haven’t been as aggressive as some of their counterparts around the SEC. It’s understandable. Alabama enjoyed never-ending success with Saban, and Saban appealed to Alabama’s old-school sensibilities.Saban’s big recruiting pitch was that Alabama’s brand created value for players. College football now operates in a world where Alabama’s brand isn’t as valuable as an actual paycheck. Considering the price of groceries and gas these days — not to mention those diamond-studded necklaces featuring jersey numbers that all the players like —the money-over-prestige logic checks out with me.The Rose Bowl hurt, but Alabama isn’t going to be down forever. For now, the boosters are demanding a better running game, and Ryan Grubb better be listening.MAILBAG SOUND OFFGot a question for Joe? Want to get something off your chest? Send Joe an email about what’s on your mind. Let your voice be heard. Ask him anything for the reader mailbag.Joseph is the lead sports columnist for AL.com and author of the highly controversial book "We Want Bama." SEC provocateur and expert in the field game management, Joseph's columns have been voted the best in...