You cannot appropriately quantify what the Indiana Hoosiers have done the last two years under head coach Curt Cignetti. Since coming over from James Madison, IU has gone 11-2 and now 12-0 in back-to-back seasons. Their two losses are to Ohio State during Big Ten play last year and at in-state rival Notre Dame during the first round of last season's College Football Playoff. IU has not lost since.
While there is no doubt how good of a head coach Cignetti, or the sheer amount of investment the university is putting into him and the football program, there was always one major concern when it comes to IU having staying power. No, it is not Cignetti's age. It had everything to do with high school recruitment. Well, Indiana may only be ranked 31st in the 2026 cycle, but every player signed an NLI.
In the latter stages of National Signing Day, Indiana has 22 players sign their national letters of intent. While only two were of the four-star variety, the other 20 were all three-stars. Although you may need a top-10 class in four consecutive cycles to realistically win a national championship, Indiana seems to be the program most poised to buck the trend. If they get a bye, they just need to win three games.
For now, Indiana is firing on all cylinders as a college football program unlike anything we have seen.
Why Indiana getting all of its recruits to sign is a huge deal for Hoosiers
This comes down to one thing, and one thing only: Togetherness. Indiana has taken the college football world by storm because they play together as one. Yes, they may have a few standouts on both sides of the ball, but that is par for the course on any contending team worth its weight in salt. What has been the main separating factor for Indiana has been the unrelenting force that is Cignetti.
When a team has all of its players sign their NLIs on National Signing Day, it suggests that not only is the plan in place being executed at an extremely high level, but that there is very little disconnect in terms of communication. As it is with everything, communication is key. Football is a gladiator sport where you are trying to take your 11 guys and outperform somebody else's 100-plus times a game.
Overall, there will be books, and maybe even a movie, centered around this team and this head coach. Indiana may not be dripping with a ton of talent in-state, but what were the Oregon Ducks before Phil Knight used all of that Nike money to help build a national powerhouse? Indiana is building something special, alright... Will it win a national championship this year or down the line? We shall wait and see...
For now, Indiana has established staying power as a football program, centered around its star coach.