Curt Cignetti, Indiana's CFP Win 'Changed the Game,' Says CFB Coach, 'It's Super Inspiring'

The consensus opinion among college football coaches recently interviewed by The Athletic is that Indiana's 2026 national championship run wasn't just a lucky break for the program.

According to The Athletic's Seth Emerson, Bruce Feldman, Ralph D. Russo and David Ubben, a group of respondents including power conference head coaches and assistants as well as Group of 6 head coaches "universally respected Indiana and Cignetti and saw it as no fluke."

"It's changed the game," one Group of 6 head coach told Emerson, Feldman, Russo and Ubben. "It's not Michigan. It's not Ohio State. … It's super inspiring. If you can do it at Indiana, you can do it anywhere."

Indiana went 3-9 the season before hiring Cignetti, who led the team to an 11-2 record and inaugural College Football Playoff berth during his first season with the program followed by a 16-0 campaign and a national championship in 2025.

At least part of that was due to the Cignetti's success in bringing in transfer portal players who had either played for him at JMU or were identified as good fits for Indiana's schemes.

According to ESPN's Adam Rittenberg, defensive ends coach Buddha Williams said ahead of the CFP semifinal earlier this month that Cignetti's evaluation process "emphasized consistent production and durability" from players with college experience.

That strategy allowed Indiana to reach its current heights despite ranking outside the top 20 transfer classes ahead of both the 2024 and 2025 seasons, per 247Sports.

Indiana has since climbed the rankings and is now bringing in a top-10 transfer class headlined by TCU transfer quarterback Josh Hoover alongside other established college starters including wide receiver Nick Marsh, running back Turbo Richard and offensive lineman Joe Brunner for 2026.

Especially as prices for top transfers rise, the Hoosiers' success over the past two seasons with non-marquee transfer classes could potentially influence how other programs approach the portal going forward.