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Missouri Valley Football Conference coaches skeptical NCAA settlement will change retention concerns – Grand Forks Herald
GRAND FORKS — When Southern Illinois head football coach Nick Hill has an alum stop by practice, he hears about the glory years and tales of a time when players stuck out the entirety of a college career in one program.
Hill’s current reality is much different. The current reality is rampant transferring.
“Those days are pretty much over,” the 40-year-old SIU alum Hill said. “Some people are living in the past of even 15 years ago.”
College football is entering a new era in 2025, when universities can share revenue directly to college athletes following the House vs. NCAA legal case.
At this summer’s Missouri Valley Football Conference meeting in Sioux Falls, coaches and the league’s commissioner weren’t so sure the changes will solve the NCAA’s retention problem. Most MVFC leaders said “no,” although some of their answers may be better categorized as “not yet.”
“The best way to retain our guys is to do a great job with relationships,” UND first-year head coach Eric Schmidt said. “Guys have to believe they’re going to get developed here. They have to believe they can make life-changing money in the NFL and that’s the reason to stay. I don’t think before House or after House will change that.”
As reported by Reuters and other national news outlets, House vs. NCAA was started by Arizona State University swimmer Grant House and others, who filed an antitrust suit against the NCAA and its restrictions of athletes to benefit financially from their name, image and likeness.
In June, the NCAA agreed to pay nearly $2.8 billion to former and current Division I athletes who were unable to profit through NIL between 2016 and 2024. Going forward, schools can directly share revenue with their athletes.
As part of the agreement, there will be new oversight added to NIL deals, including a clearinghouse that will vet deals worth more than $600 to ensure they represent fair-market value and are not simply pay-to-play deals.
With House-regulated salary caps, roster caps and tighter NIL regulation, the hope among FCS coaches is that the new system can help stem the annual exodus of players from FCS rosters to FBS schools that can offer bigger and better deals.
In the offseason leading up to the 2025 season, 514 FCS players indicated a transfer to an FBS school, according to data collected by Sam Herder of Hero Sports, an online publication that covers the FCS level.
The Missouri Valley Football Conference, widely considered the top league in the FCS, has been raided in recent years by larger power conferences. Ahead of 2025, North Dakota State’s CharMar Brown left for Miami, South Dakota State quarterback Mark Gronowski left for Iowa and Illinois State’s Hunter Zambrano left for Texas Tech, among many others in this category.
At UND, high-end talent has departed in the last few years in offensive lineman Easton Kilty (Kansas State), quarterback Tommy Schuster (Michigan State), defensive end Ben McNaboe (Ohio) and offensive lineman Cade Borud (Iowa).
With the new revenue sharing model, the governance system will be run by the College Sports Commission, an independent entity separate from the NCAA, charged with enforcing all rules related to the settlement, including revenue sharing caps for schools at the highest level of college football.
Some have hoped this new era could be a turning point in the transfer culture. The CSC is tasked with returning name, imagine and likeness (NIL) athlete deals back to their organic beginnings – before essentially pay-for-play became the norm for NIL contracts.
For example, a third-string tight end who rarely plays but is paid $100,000 in NIL money isn’t necessarily earning it based on his marketability. Instead, he’s likely being paid that sum simply to play football. The NIL deal at that price was therefore a mask of its original business intent but programs, coaches and collectives couldn’t actually call it pay-for-play without breaking the rules.
The CSC and this new era of the House settlement want to rein in that previous unregulated NIL movement, which caused bidding war after bidding war and fueled the massive levels of transferring seen across the entire college athletic world.
MVFC coaches at this summer’s media day in Sioux Falls were skeptical the House settlement era would solve any of their retention woes.
Schmidt, a former UND captain and defensive coordinator who left UND in 2019, returns to Grand Forks after coaching stops at Fresno State, Washington and San Diego State. He believes the 2025 system is a short-term solution.
“What does this look like in the next two to four years?” Schmidt said. “It’ll change again with different lawsuits and situations that’ll take place. It’s to be determined. How many of these contracts that are being signed now hold up at the end of the day? Ultimately, I don’t think (the new House system) will change anything at all right now.”
MVFC Commissioner Jeff Jackson is also looking at what’s next in this fluid new era. Like many in his role across the FCS, Jackson would like to see federal involvement to add clarity and direct the next steps.
“You know, the House settlement is not a perfect document,” he said. “We can all read the settlement and find places that we’re uncomfortable with or that we feel doesn’t best serve our interests. However, it’s a good beginning point and that beginning point does lead us into a world where we can have more regulation.
“We still need legislative relief. We still need the ability for Congress to come in and say we can self-govern because that’s the issue. How long does a student-athlete stay at North Dakota? Or Illinois State? That only gets solved if we get to a place where we can actually put in rules and govern what we’re doing. Right now, we can’t. So the House settlement is a great beginning, but being able to get to safe harbor, we’ve got to have legislative relief. How we’re existing right now is not sustainable. You’ve got to have some (rules) with teeth, and that’s where legislative relief comes in.”
Due to the transfer culture in place, Youngstown State coach Doug Phillips, in his sixth season leading the Penguins, has seen the development process need to greatly accelerate.
“What do you tell a young man that can maybe go make $800,000 (at a Power Four program)?” Phillips said. “What would I tell my son? I don’t make that money, you know? What I’ve got to do for my team is have someone ready to replace him, so that’s what I try to focus on. If this young man decides to move on, that can benefit his family and himself … I just want to make sure I have a guy that’s going to step in and be ready to play. That’s what we can control. That’s where you manage a roster. Back in the day, you had to have a guy ready after four years. Now, we need to have guys ready in Year 2. Year 3, they need to star. I’ve got to have them ready sooner.”
At the highest levels of college football, a salary cap will be monitored. At UND and the MVFC level, schools are opting in to the House settlement but that doesn’t dictate how much revenue – if any – will be shared. This could create disproportionate competitive balance.
For the FCS programs, opting in to the revenue sharing model doesn’t negate the FBS advantages if there isn’t much revenue to share.
“Your administration, your school can obviously step up and try to pay the players more, and that’s going to help with some retention,” Hill said. “But, you know, several of our players went to big time Power Four schools and when you weigh those options with them … kids are going to get paid a lot more and have a chance to run out on those SEC fields. Put yourself back in those shoes. Those kids are going to go every year. It’s how it is. You have to be OK with that. They’ve probably played some good football for you, you know? If it were my son, I’d tell you this is a great opportunity. You did us well here.
“It leads you to really appreciate those guys that do make up the core of your team, and we have a lot of them, who have been here five, some six years. It’s about building a team as quickly as you can now.”
Although some FCS programs may find it difficult to find revenue to share with athletes, others may find new avenues to address retention through fundraising.
“I think North Dakota State is going to be in a really good position,” Bison coach Tim Polasek said. “I’m not really concerned with the rest of the FCS; I’m not sure on that. I can’t answer that for them. I don’t know if (the House settlement) will provide (competitive balance).
“College football has been college football for a long time, and there have been a lot of programs that have certain things others don’t, and those things most certainly are important and can provide an edge. We’ll figure out which guys need a little bit of a reward for retention and keep working toward it. I most certainly don’t have all the answers but will Bison Nation answer the bell and keep us competitive? I believe that will be the case.”
Former Minnesota safety Koi Perich has committed to play for head coach Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks, On3 has learned. Perich was one of the top available players in the NCAA transfer portal, proving to be a massive win for Oregon. It’s the second straight year Lanning has snagged an elite safety from a Big Ten foe.
Perich is a four-star prospect per the On3 Industry Transfer Portal Rankings. He also comes in as the No. 12 overall player. At the time of his commitment, only Missouri‘s Damon Wilson ranks higher on the list of available guys. Now, the No. 1 safety is off the board and heading to Eugene.
Texas Tech was the other program battling Oregon for Perich’s eventual signature. It’s no secret how aggressive the Red Raiders can get in the transfer portal. Especially for defensive players, being a staple of the 2025 roster. But similar to the College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchup between the two, Oregon came out on top.
Perich played in 26 games during his time at Minnesota, turning into one of the best defensive backs in the Big Ten. He recorded 128 tackles, 5.5 tackles for a loss, and one sack. The stats when dropping back in coverage are just as good, snagging six interceptions, five passes defended, and even forcing two fumbles.
Oregon will be looking for a whole lot more of the same. Last portal cycle saw the Ducks land Dillon Thieneman from Purdue, setting the blueprint for what Perich’s time in Eugene might look like. But there was always thought to be a ton of potential with Perich.
Looking back at his high school recruitment, Perich played at Esko (MN) Lincoln Secondary, where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 58 overall recruit in the 2024 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
Minnesota listed Perich as a sophomore on his official roster bio during the 2025 season. If he wishes to use them, two years of eligibility remain moving forward. While Oregon might be hoping they just snagged a multi-year player, you have to imagine the NFL Draft will be a serious consideration this time next year.
To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.
The NCAA transfer portal is nearing the end of its two-week window for college football players to enter in hopes of finding better situations at new programs in 2026. The portal opened its doors on Jan. 2 and will officially close on Friday.
No fewer than 4,000 players from across college football entered the portal in the weeks after the 2025 regular season ended. Much of the discussion about the 2026 portal cycle revolves around quarterbacks shifting to different Power Four programs in search of better situations.
One of these quarterbacks is former Cincinnati signal-caller Brendan Sorsby, who entered the transfer portal and committed to Texas Tech. He will have one season of eligibility for the Red Raiders.
The 6-foot-3, 235-pounder began his college football journey under Tom Allen at Indiana in 2022. He used his redshirt that season, completing only three of six passes and throwing an interception in a blowout loss to Penn State.
Sorsby played in 10 of the Hoosiers’ 12 games in the 2023 season. He threw for 1,587 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions while rushing for 286 yards and four more touchdowns. Allen was fired that offseason, and Sorsby entered the portal for the first time.
Cincinnati landed Sorsby from the portal in the 2024 offseason. He started all 12 games for the Bearcats that season, passing for 2,813 yards, 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions and rushing for 447 yards and nine touchdowns. The Bearcats were 5-7 in 2024, losing each of their last five games.
Sorsby passed for 2,800 yards, 27 touchdowns and five interceptions and ran for 580 yards and nine touchdowns in his last season with the Bearcats. Cincinnati was 7-5 in the 2025 regular season, losing each of its last five games. Sorsby entered the portal ahead of the Bearcats’ bowl game.
Schools scouring the portal for quarterbacks had Sorsby near the top of their wishlist. Max Olson of ESPN released rankings for the best transfers in the 2026 portal cycle, with Sorsby coming in at No. 1 overall.
“He was the Plan A all along for coach Joey McGuire and his staff, a proven Big 12 starter and Texas native that who can elevate an offense who ranked No. 2 nationally in points per game this season before the loss to Oregon in the CFP quarterfinal. The Red Raiders return a lot of players around Sorsby entering 2026 and should be the preseason Big 12 favorite,” Olson wrote.
“Sorsby’s arrival also allows backup Will Hammond to recover from his torn ACL and prepare to take over as (Texas) Tech’s starter in 2027.”
1. Las Vegas Raiders: Fernando Mendoza – QB, Indiana
It’s hard to rethink this after a brilliant Peach Bowl performance from Mendoza. Raiders fans should be excited for the opportunity to select this talent at the quarterback position.
2. New York Jets: Dante Moore – QB, Oregon
The big question over the next week or two is whether or not Moore will return to school. His struggles against pressure in the Peach Bowl may warrant more development. If Moore declares it would be hard for New York to pass on him.
3. Arizona Cardinals: Francis Mauigoa – OT, Miami
Mauigoa’s impressively clean year of pass protection has mattered greatly on Miami’s national championship run. The Cardinals with this selection have locked down both tackle positions for the future.
4. Tennessee Titans: Arvell Reese – EDGE, Ohio State
It’s a shame we didn’t get to see more of Arvell Reese, but he put enough on tape to be a top five selection. Tennessee lacks an identity on defense and this pick might create an energetic pass rush.
5. New York Giants: Carnell Tate – WR, Ohio State
Tate opposite Nabers creates headaches for any defense looking to play man coverage. This gives Jaxson Dart multiple targets who can win downfield and above the rim.
6. Cleveland Browns: Jordyn Tyson – WR, Arizona State
The quarterback position will be a question mark in Cleveland, but at least they can improve the situation. Tyson has the route running ability and body type of a true number one receiver.
7. Washington Commanders: Caleb Downs – S, Ohio State
The Commanders need impact players of any kind on defense. Caleb Downs is the closest thing to this definition in the draft. It’s a slam dunk if he’s available here.
8. New Orleans Saints: Rueben Bain – EDGE, Miami
With Chase Young’s late season emergence and Cam Jordan’s age, the Saints look to build out a reliable edge duo with Bain. Led by Bain’s efforts, Miami’s pass rush has dominated in 2025.
9. Kansas City Chiefs: Jeremiyah Love – RB, Notre Dame
The Chiefs need another mismatch weapon on offense as Travis Kelce ages. Jeremiyah Love adds formational versatility and an explosive element in the run game.
10. Cincinnati Bengals: David Bailey – EDGE, Texas Tech
Cincinnati has a bunch of bigger bodies at edge and need to add a pure pass rusher. Bailey’s relentless use of hands and pursuit to the quarterback charges up this defense.
11. Miami Dolphins: Spencer Fano – OT, Utah
Austin Jackson is under contract for another year in Miami, but Fano could be an immediate upgrade. Regardless, Miami can invest in the position long term and give Fano a chance to bulk up in the meantime.
12. Dallas Cowboys: Sonny Styles – LB, Ohio State
Dallas needs a communicator in the middle of their defense to tie both ends together. Sonny Styles supplies a floor against the run game while improving their ability to cover tight ends.
13. Los Angeles Rams: Jermod McCoy – CB, Tennessee
The Rams could use more physicality at the cornerback position. McCoy is rehabbing a torn ACL from late last season and would benefit from slotting in on an already talented roster.
14. Baltimore Ravens: Makai Lemon – WR, USC
If Isaiah Likely walks in free agency, the Ravens need another reliable weapon for Lamar Jackson. Makai Lemon was a consistent chain mover this season at USC and brings some toughness to the middle of the field.
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Olaivavega Ioane – OG, Penn State
When the Buccaneers’ offense was at its best in 2024, they were consistently able to run the football. Depth issues and injuries killed this offensive line in 2025, and it can’t happen again.
16. New York Jets: Peter Woods – DT, Clemson
After trading Quinnen Williams the Jets have a massive hole at defensive tackle. Woods immediately slots in on early downs to provide some stoutness up front while he develops as a pass rusher.
17. Detroit Lions: Mansoor Delane – CB, LSU
There’s not much Detroit can do about their defensive depth issues other than continue to throw darts at key positions. Delane could end up getting selected much higher than this after an excellent season in the SEC.
18. Minnesota Vikings: Kenyon Sadiq – TE, Oregon
There’s a chance the Vikings release TJ Hockenson and they’d need a pass catching tight end to replace him. JJ McCarthy gets a physical target over the middle of the field to develop with.
19. Carolina Panthers: Cashius Howell – EDGE, Texas A&M
This Panthers’ defense finished the season flying around on their way to a near playoff upset of the Rams. Howell brings similar energy with his “see ball carrier, get ball carrier” attitude from the edge position.
20. Dallas Cowboys: Avieon Terrell – CB, Clemson
The Cowboys like cornerbacks who can move in and out of the slot when formations shift. Terrell has that ability, and adds more versatility to a secondary that already has Da’Ron Bland.
21. Pittsburgh Steelers: Denzel Boston – WR, Washington
If there’s a chance Aaron Rodgers is back in Pittsburgh in 2026, they need to add more size at pass catcher. Right now, Rodgers favorite weapons are all big bodied targets.
22. Los Angeles Chargers: Emmanuel Pregnon – OG, Oregon
Pregnon is a late riser in this draft process as a mauling run blocker. The Chargers invested in Omarion Hampton last season and can’t seem to keep Justin Herbert upright. They need more security along the offensive line.
23. Philadelphia Eagles: Kadyn Proctor – OT, Alabama
Jordan Mailata entered the league as a hulking offensive tackle before rounding into one of the league’s best. The Eagles take pride in their size up front, and Lane Johnson’s inconsistent health warrants foresight.
24. Cleveland Browns: Kayden McDonald – DT, Ohio State
McDonald would be the final piece of a truly dominant Cleveland defensive line. Right now, Myles Garrett is the best defensive player in football. It never hurts to make his job easier.
25. Chicago Bears: Colton Hood – CB, Tennessee
The cornerback room in Chicago operates solidly when fully healthy, but there’s a massive dropoff to their first backup. Hood gets to step in as an elite athletic talent with the opportunity to learn and develop.
26. Buffalo Bills: Keldric Faulk – EDGE, Auburn
The Bills like big bodies like Faulk who can rotate to 3-technique on passing downs. Faulk has the ability to add weight and fit in wherever the Bills need a boost of talent along the defensive line.
27. San Francisco 49ers: CJ Allen – LB, Georgia
The 49ers need a player who can freelance in the box against the run. CJ Allen has the necessary range and blockshed ability to apply support behind this pass rush against the league’s best offensive lines.
28. Houston Texans: Caleb Lomu – OT, Utah
Houston’s run game is showing signs of growth in 2025 but still needs more talent. Caleb Lomu comes from a Utah offense predicated on outside zone and immediately adds athleticism to the Texans’ run blocking unit.
29. Los Angeles Rams: Trevor Goosby – OT, Texas
The Rams offensive line is essential to keeping an older Matthew Stafford and an eventual young replacement upright. They need more depth at tackle and have the time and resources to invest in developing a young toolsy player.
30. New England Patriots: Caleb Banks – DT, Florida
The Patriots found consistent pass rush from their interior in 2025 but could use more size on early downs. If Banks hits his ceiling as a disruptive mismatch nose tackle, the defense would have extra versatility to disguise pressures with three massive defensive linemen on the field.
31. Denver Broncos: Romello Height – EDGE, Texas Tech
Nik Bonitto’s ability to get after the quarterback is an incredibly important part of the Broncos defense. Height has the ability to step in and become Bonitto’s understudy while providing personnel depth for one of the league’s best units.
32. Seattle Seahawks: Brandon Cisse – CB, South Carolina
Mike Macdonald’s time in Baltimore shows the importance of constant investment at the cornerback position with this defensive scheme. Cisse has the versatility to play in the slot and adds more physicality to this already ferocious secondary.
The stage is set for the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship. No. 1 Indiana (15-0, 9-0) will face No. 10 Miami (13-2, 6-2) in Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida, on Jan. 19 (7:30 p.m. EST, ESPN).
The national championship matchup will feature a pair of programs that have not reached this level of success in quite some time. Indiana has never seen this amount of success, as it did not win more than 10 games in a regular season until Curt Cignetti’s arrival. As for Miami, 2025 has been about a return to national relevance that has been missing for nearly two decades.
Retired seven-time national champion head coach Nick Saban is buying into Miami’s return to national relevance. He discussed the importance Hurricanes’ run in the 2025 College Football Playoff at halftime of the Peach Bowl on the ESPN set Friday.
“I’m happy for them too. I think this is great for the city of Miami. The U is back, and that’s really, really good. Glad they’re going to be playing in Hard Rock (Stadium), that’s all great,” Saban said. “But, I tell you what, they helped Ole Miss a lot in the game last night. But what impressed me the most was the resiliency they showed to keep playing the next play and overcome the adversity that they created themselves.”
Saban has a professional connection with Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal. After Florida International fired Cristobal in the 2013 offseason, Saban hired him to his Alabama staff. Cristobal served as an associate head coach, recruiting coordinator and offensive line coach for four seasons before departing for Oregon in 2017.
Cristobal spent a season as the Ducks’ co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach before taking over for the outgoing Willie Taggart as head coach. He was in the role for four seasons before accepting the head coaching job at Miami.
Under Cristobal’s leadership, the Hurricanes are playing in their first national championship since 2002. Following the national championship loss to Ohio State and their eventual movement to the ACC, the Hurricanes gradually regressed to the point where they fired Larry Coker in the 2007 offseason.
Between Coker and Cristobal, the Hurricanes employed Randy Shannon, Al Golden, Mark Richt and Manny Diaz as head coaches. All four finished with winning records as head coaches, but only Richt won 10 games in a season (2017). Richt retired from the post after three seasons, while the other three were relieved of their duties by the university.
Indiana enters the College Football Playoff national championship game on January 19, riding one of the most improbable runs in modern college football.
The Hoosiers finished the regular season unbeaten, captured the Big Ten title, and earned the No. 1 seed in the expanded playoff before dismantling No. 9 Alabama (38–3) and No. 5 Oregon (56–22) in the first two rounds of the postseason.
Indiana’s dominant Peach Bowl victory over the Ducks cemented the Hoosiers’ place in the national title game, marking the program’s first appearance in a national championship and representing the pinnacle of head coach Curt Cignetti’s rapid rebuild.
At the center of Indiana’s historic 2025 campaign is quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the Cal transfer who arrived in Bloomington after spending his first two seasons with the Golden Bears.
In his lone season at Indiana, Mendoza has delivered elite efficiency and command of the offense, throwing for 3,349 yards with a nation-best 41 touchdowns against just six interceptions, while completing 73% of his passes across 15 games.
That breakout campaign helped guide Indiana to a 15–0 record, earning Mendoza widespread national recognition, becoming Indiana’s first Heisman Trophy winner, adding AP Player of the Year honors, and sweeping the major national quarterback awards.
With Mendoza widely expected to declare for the NFL Draft following the season, speculation has intensified regarding his draft position and potential landing spot.
ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. added fuel to that conversation on Monday by placing Mendoza No. 1 overall on his latest 2026 NFL Draft Big Board following the CFP semifinals.
“Mendoza transferred to Indiana after playing two seasons at Cal, and his game has taken off,” Kiper wrote. “The key? He has cut down on sacks, with 22 so far this season after taking 41 in 2024.”
“Mendoza is getting the ball out quicker. And while he doesn’t have a huge arm, he can make all the necessary NFL-level throws. His ball placement is fantastic. I wouldn’t consider him a dual threat, but Mendoza also has enough mobility to pick up first downs as a scrambler.”
Kiper’s Big Board places Mendoza ahead of other highly regarded quarterbacks expected to headline the 2026 NFL Draft class, including Oregon’s Dante Moore and Alabama’s Ty Simpson.
While those passers bring different physical profiles, Mendoza’s combination of efficiency, decision-making, and a proven winning resume has increasingly separated him from the pack in early evaluations.
He has also emerged as one of the sport’s most marketable stars, ranking eighth nationally in NIL valuation at an estimated $2.6 million, a figure that reflects both his on-field success and national profile.
Indiana’s season is not yet complete, as a national title win over Miami would cement the Hoosiers’ campaign as one of the most memorable in college football history and further strengthen Mendoza’s case as the top overall prospect.
Regardless of the outcome, his ascent from transfer addition to Heisman Trophy winner and projected No. 1 pick stands as one of the most notable quarterback rises in recent college football history.
The 2026 NFL Draft is scheduled for April 23–25 in Pittsburgh, but Mendoza’s trajectory suggests the conversation surrounding the first overall selection may already be taking shape.
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A college football champion will be crowned on Jan. 19 after the No. 10-seed Miami Hurricanes and No. 1-seed Indiana Hoosiers face off at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
As many fans have noticed and have thoroughly enjoyed pointing out online, the SEC does not have a representative in the title game for the third consecutive year. Many in the sport have attributed this to NIL and the transfer portal, which allow non-traditional programs like Texas Tech or Indiana to contend, while programs like Georgia or Alabama no longer have significant talent advantages.
When it comes to the Bulldogs, Fox’s Joel Klatt revealed on a recent episode of “The Next Round” that Georgia can’t even say they have the best coach in college football anymore, going as far as to say that Indiana’s Curt Cignetti has surpassed him.
“It leads into this idea of Kirby (Smart) is the best coach in college football,” Klatt said in reference to the SEC being the best conference narrative. “Well no he’s not. He hasn’t even played in the final four in the last three years with good teams by the way. And in some cases based on the composite, the most talented team.
“So Curt Cignetti is doing more with less than anybody,” Klatt said. “And he’s doing it on a stage and at a pace right now that is fairly unprecedented. He did it at Indiana. Guys Indiana is likely to win the national championship. That blows my mind. It just does.”
While it seemed extremely brash or arrogant at the time when Cignetti told college football fans to Google him at his introductory press conference, that appears to have been a legitimate warning that no one was really ready for.
In his four years as an FBS head coach, which include his final two seasons at James Madison, Cignetti has compiled a 45-6 record. At Indiana alone, he has put together a record of 26-2, leading the Hoosiers to the program’s first outright Big Ten title since 1945, the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff and also helped Fernando Mendoza have a breakout year that saw him win the Heisman trophy.
Arguably the most interesting part about Cignetti’s success outside of his one-liners and otherworldly confidence is the fact that he isn’t chasing someone else’s legacy at another program, he is working to build his own.
Despite being the hottest coach on the market this coaching cycle, Cignetti inked an 8-year extension worth around $93 million that will keep him in Bloomington.
So, for those college football traditionalists who are struggling to accept the new reality of what this sport has become, it appears that accepting Indiana as a powerhouse is another thing they’ll have to add to the list.
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