They're only really in the top 3rd of the Big Ten in NIL now for this portal cycle, so didn't have funds as readily available until now. Also, partly strategy to use the portal and get veterans as the roster flips. Cig has said that he believes in building their roster through high school recruiting and development. Their fans expect the staff will have more resource$ for HS recruiting moving forward.
Respectfully, I completely disagree. Don’t get me wrong, IU is the best team this year but there’s more to it than one game blow outs.
He doesn't really want high school recruits. He would rather load up his team with 21 - 23 year olds from other places moving forward.
The two best teams were Indiana and Ohio State. ND was in that mix of next best and I think would've been competitive. You're correct that they blasted teams that made mistakes / had soft defense and then often got held in check by teams that could cover + rush the passer. Honestly, Miami is a pretty bad matchup for them.
I posted I think it was last season when IU showed up, that to me this is the equivalent of the mid-majors that typically make a run in the NCAA. They do it because they’re playing with guys that are 4th and 5th players. A little smarter, stronger and disciplined.
Royalty in Bloomington is like being the prince of Bulgaria. And being a CFB lifer is why he’d go to the NFL now.
He's a CFB lifer and that's not going to change. Sorry.
It’s only logical that a team would struggle against teams with similar talent. The bottom line is they still won and that’s what good teams do against teams with similar talent.
He’s making life changing money, zero pressure to win at a basketball school and has been a college guy forever. He has complete control of the program. He wouldn’t in the NFL. IMO The only reason he would go to the NFL is if he has a desire to prove himself again.
I'm sure they'll get better high school recruits in the 2027 class, but why mess with a proven formula?
👀 Mark Cubsn
That's very obvious in March madness and I haven't seen it show up in football until recently
I agree, they have pumped out grads from a good school forever and Bloomington’s campus sits close to 50k now. They’ve had nothing to go to and support since the 1968 Rose Bowl (vs OJ 🧤).
He seems like a guy with a very strong desire to prove himself, is the main thing.
It appears to me that the game has changed, that hs recruiting the old fashioned way has been replaced by the new "free agency" model to create an instant team instead of developing a team with players over several years. This has instantly allowed non-legacy teams like IU, TT, etc. to become competitive and even overtake the traditional powers. Get ready for more now that the path has proven successful.
We went on a college day to IT when I was in 8th grade and the fact that they had a bowling alley in their student center immediately vaulted them to top tier university status in my 13 year old mind.
Obviously there needs to be some regulation but it’s the fairest it’s ever been IMO
Agree on the regulation, starting with limiting player transfer to one, and eligibility to 5 years max, no exceptions. And the calendar has to be changed so players aren't transferring during post season.
Yeah I don’t know enough about him but I agree with you here. One of the advantages some claim about NFL over college is the constant recruiting of players. Even after you secure their commitment you have to keep recruiting them. Cignetti has found a loophole of sorts in that he has the resources to attract established players to come in as rentals via free agency. Look at how many kids he recruited to JMU & brought with him to Bloomington. That’s a helluva job of talent evaluation considering they were everything from 0 stars to 2 stars.
I like these ideas b/c you’re never going to limit the amount of money w/ a “salary cap”. Teams will just pay under the table like they did prior to NIL. But if you limit the number of transfers & the other suggestions you listed, it tightens up the system. But never underestimate attorneys. If the NCAA limited transfers, you can be sure an attorney would challenge it on behalf of an ”aggrieved“ player. So the best move would be to break away entirely from the NCAA & form their own league independent of all other college sports. This would lead to some schools opting out or being relegated out b/c they’ll never compete: Minnesota, Iowa St, Rutgers, Arizona, WF, and the like. I would’ve included IU before Cignetti & their willingness to spend.
Didn’t mean to imply I think we would’ve gotten blown out, just that I don’t think we can say that we “would” win with any degree of confidence.
How does breaking away solve the litigation risk problem?