Unlike his Indiana teammates, Pat Coogan has been here before.
Coogan, a redshirt senior center from Marist, is about to have the rare distinction of playing in back-to-back College Football Playoff championship games — for different teams.
Last season, Coogan wrapped up his Notre Dame career by starting at center in a loss to Ohio State in the CFP final.
With his bachelor’s degree in American studies in hand, Coogan hit the transfer portal and moved on to Indiana. The 6-5, 311-pounder is one of three local players who should see significant playing time in the title game.
Miami’s defense features sophomore defensive end Marquise Lightfoot from Kenwood and sophomore nose tackle Justin Scott from St. Ignatius.
Coogan doesn’t expect to feel any nerves when he returns to college football’s biggest stage.
“I’ve learned from a lot of great leadership at an early age, a lot of great coaches,” he said during a media session last week. “This is my fifth year. I’ve played a lot of football, I’ve been around success, I’ve been around failure. I’ve been around everything in between.”
Coogan definitely paid his dues after arriving at Notre Dame in the wake of Illinois’ pandemic-delayed spring 2021 high school season. He redshirted in 2021 and played in one game in 2022 before breaking into the lineup as the Irish’s starting left guard in 2023.
In 2024, he took over as the starting center after Ashton Craig was sidelined by injury in Week 3. Coogan has started every game since, first for the Irish and now for the Hoosiers. Playing an often anonymous position, Coogan found himself in the spotlight when he was named the Rose Bowl MVP after the Hoosiers routed Alabama 38-3 in the CFP quarterfinals.
Now, after Indiana cruised past Oregon in the semifinals, Coogan has called on last year’s experience as he prepares for this year’s title game.
“It’s similar to what we have been talking about during this whole playoff run,” Coogan said. “Just being where your feet are and maximizing each day and each opportunity. Maximizing our practices, making sure we go out on the practice field and really taking what we’re learning into the meetings and putting it on the field.
“At the end of the day, it’s another football game, right? The stage is big, [but] the stage has been big the past couple of weeks.”
Among those on the other side of the line from Coogan will be Lightfoot and Scott. Lightfoot, a 6-5, 230-pounder, has 31 tackles and 2œ sacks this season. Miami coach Mario Cristobal talked about Lightfoot’s significant upside back in September.
“Very versatile, great pass rusher, playing well against the run, in coverage, does it all,” Cristobal told reporters. “He’s one of our fastest defenders. Big future for him.”
Scott, who is 6-4 and 303 pounds, has 23 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble.
“I definitely feel more confident in my game, which I feel is something you only get playing more and more football,” Scott told reporters in the run-up to Miami’s Cotton Bowl win over Ohio State in the CFP quarterfinals.
Now he’ll be playing more football under the brightest lights in the college football universe, along with Coogan and Lightfoot.
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