After orchestrating a perfect 16-0 season that culminated in a historic National Championship, Indiana lost several significant contributors to the NFL.
The Hoosiers set a program record by having eight players selected in the 2026 NFL Draft, with Heisman Trophy-winning QB Fernando Mendoza leading the way as the No. 1 overall pick. Other noteworthy Hoosiers off to the NFL include WR Omar Cooper Jr, CB D'Angelo Ponds, RB Kaelon Black, WR Elijah Sarratt, C Pat Coogan, and RB Roman Hemby, among others.
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With all of that lost production, Curt Cignetti made sure to re-tool Indiana's roster this offseason through the transfer portal. Cignetti brought in 17 players via the transfer portal this offseason, and Indiana's group of incomers is ranked as the No. 8 portal class in the country according to 247Sports. The class is generating plenty of hype, and the Hoosiers are in a rarified air when it comes to ESPN's list of the top-100 newcomers in college football.
Indiana dominates ESPN's list of top newcomers for 2026 college football season
On Tuesday, ESPN released its rankings of the top-100 newcomers in college football for the 2026 season. Not surprisingly, the Hoosiers are well-represented.
In total, Indiana boasts four players on the list, and three rank in the top-20. QB Josh Hoover claims the top spot, while WR Nick Marsh (No. 11) and EDGE Tobi Usunsanmi (No. 18) aren't far behind. Hoover, Marsh, and Usunsanmi make Indiana one of just three teams in the country with three players featured in the top-20, joining Miami (FL) and LSU.
New for ESPN, we rank the top 100 newcomers in college football for the 2026 season. The list includes both transfers and recruits 📈
— Billy Tucker (@TheUCReport) June 2, 2026
Who did we miss?
Full top 100: https://t.co/1VP6gaJzm9 pic.twitter.com/ZX0ufWZjZw
Curt Cignetti has used the transfer portal masterfully at Indiana
Cignetti has shown his elite ability to navigate the portal over his first two offseasons in Bloomington. When attacking the transfer portal, the Hoosier head coach has prioritized bringing in experienced and talented but perhaps under-the-radar transfers to bolster Indiana's roster. So far, his plan has worked to perfection.
That effective approach has yielded tremendous success for the Indiana football program. Over his two seasons, Cignetti has led the Hoosiers to an overall record of 27-2, a Big Ten title, and a National Championship. It doesn't get much better than that.
Many coaches taking over at a new job try to preach the importance of having patience when building a program. But that wasn't the case with Cignetti. Cignetti needed little time to turn a once overlooked Indiana program into a national powerhouse, and his instant success at Indiana has put pressure on other coaches to win immediately.
Given his proven track record of finding talent through the transfer portal and then putting that talent in the best record to succeed, Indiana football fans have plenty of confidence in Cignetti's portal class devliering once again this season.
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