Overview
- Coogan earned Rose Bowl Offensive MVP honors, becoming the first offensive lineman to receive the award since 1944.
- Indiana’s starting center was made a de facto team spokesperson and was one of only two Hoosiers to be named game captain for every contest.
- He entered the transfer portal after a 34–23 loss to Ohio State, then heard from Cignetti within hours before the coach flew to Chicago to meet him and his father.
- Teammates and coaches credit his weekly speeches with energizing the offense, with Mike Shanahan praising his instinct for the right buttons to push and players recalling his "misfits" rallying cry.
- Before Indiana, Coogan started 13 games at Notre Dame, allowed just eight quarterback pressures, shifted from guard to center, and drew notice for viral pregame addresses rooted in his South Side Chicago, Irish-Catholic upbringing.