Jan. 29—SIOUX FALLS — Almost two weeks later it’s still hard to believe — the Indiana Hoosiers are college football’s national champions.
It’s widely considered one of the most unlikely stories we’ve seen in sports. The Hoosiers were a longtime Big Ten doormat, nary a 10-win season in their history before Curt Cignetti arrived from James Madison.
Now they’re at the top, and Cignetti is being lauded across the landscape as the new greatest coach in college football.
You can’t say he doesn’t deserve it. The Hoosiers went 16-0, dominating traditional powers like Alabama and Oregon on their way to the title. They produced the Heisman Trophy winner in quarterback Fernando Mendoza and they did it with a roster largely devoid of the four and five-star recruits that have traditionally been the foundation of FBS success.
There’s been much analysis over how Cignetti did it. And certainly not to take anything away from his schemes, preparation and apparently near-psychotic dedication, he did it through the transfer portal.
And what’s interesting about that is how Cignetti used the portal.
Instead of pursuing the biggest names out there or mining talent from the SEC and other Big Ten programs, Cignetti seemed to focus more on age and experience.
To put it bluntly, he recruited old guys.
The average age of the Hoosiers roster was 23. They had 47 players between the ages of 22-25. Virtually all of their starters had at least four years of college football playing experience.
While every coach relies on the portal out of necessity now, Cignetti, having gone 52-9 at James Madison, recognized the value of underrated and under-appreciated talent. Of players who have been developed. Of proven production over potential. He brought 13 players with him to Indiana from JMU and added other several other transfers from Group of Six schools.
Those mature and experienced players, coupled with a coaching staff that worked its way up the long way (and a lot of NIL money), produced one of the most disciplined and fundamentally strong teams we’ve seen in college football history.
Put simply, the Hoosiers were a machine. And everyone saw it.
Football is a copycat business, so expect others to chase the Cignetti model.
“At the Power Four level, that makes a lot of sense to me because you’re utilizing your resources and your finances to take somebody that’s a little bit more of a proven product, whether they were a two or three star player in a Group of Six league or the FCS,” said South Dakota State coach Dan Jackson. “I think for them, if you’re going to spend that type of money, you better make sure that you’re getting a return on your investment. And it’s probably more of a guarantee to see a guy that’s played college football. And then, yeah, when you play against some of the teams that are leaning more freshmen or younger guys, you’re going to have an advantage.”
Jackson’s Jackrabbits are not at the Power Four level, however. Nor are the South Dakota Coyotes. But that doesn’t mean our state’s FCS teams won’t take some cues from what’s going on.
USD coach Travis Johansen said assembling an older roster is something he’s “one thousand percent” invested in. But getting there without Big Ten level-NIL money means something different.
“Continuity, to me, is the most important thing,” Johansen said. “You know, March Madness used to be a little different. The teams that made these Cinderella runs that were playing over their heads were always a bunch of five and six year guys that had been playing together forever. They gained that mastery experience that gave them a chance to be great. Football is no different. But can you get there in the dynamic we’re in? Well, you got to try.”
That means Jackson and Johansen will focus even harder on high school recruits and developing freshmen. Player development was undoubtedly the biggest factor in SDSU’s rise to consecutive national championships, and it’s clear that USD’s patience with Bob Nielson and decision to hire Johansen to replace him indicates a commitment to player development, one that has paid off in three straight playoff appearances.
Still, both programs have seen some of their top talent enter the portal for an NIL payday. That will likely continue. As such, for SDSU and USD to win old, they’ll have to take on their fair share of transfers, some of whom will be the one-year variety.
SDSU hit the bullseye with several one-year transfers last year and have added a couple more this year, as have the Coyotes.
Since there isn’t time to develop one year transfers, Johansen says it’s that much more important to make sure they’re the right fit.
“There’s no flexibility on the human being part of it, the person fit,” he said. “Does that mean they’re going to be perfect? No, I mean, it’s hard to figure out in the short amount of time you have to recruit them. But you talk to their high school coaches, their college coaches. We’re going to contact every person that’s ever crossed their paths and get — did they leave a great impression on them? There’s so much that goes into it, but we’re going to do everything we can to make sure the fit is right, because things can turn around on you really, really quickly if you if you bring some bad eggs into the program.”
Meanwhile, if the Indianas and Miamis and Oregons of the world are going to rely more and more on free agency to build championship rosters, that could mean FCS teams could have access to more high school prospects than before.
“There’s more guys,” Jackson said. “The model of trying to get all of your freshmen committed in the summertime is something that’s good for us and it’s been good and we’ve been doing it for years. But it’s kind of turned into, Hey, if you don’t get your Power Four offer by May or June, you better commit to a South Dakota State. So we’ve got to save some scholarships for this time of year. I mean, I’ve watched six kids in just the last day and a half where he doesn’t have anything (offers) and I watch him and he’s incredible. I mean, this kid would have had Power Four offers a few years ago. They’re out there.”
Of course, if the Jacks and Coyotes are landing more high-end high school talent and continuing to develop it into NFL talent, they’re likely to continue to see NIL defections. USD lost star running back LJ Phillips (Iowa) and leading receiver Larenzo Fenner (Cincinnati) to the portal this winter, and while SDSU kept its roster intact this time around, last year they saw quarterback Mark Gronowski, wide receiver Griffin Wilde and several others enter the portal for FBS opportunities. That’s simply a part of life now.
FCS teams are better off embracing that, and celebrating the players who move on to more lucrative pastures. It’s pro model now, like it or not.
“For guys that get (NIL opportunities at the FBS level) I’m going to help them find a place,” Johnansen said. “But you know what — there’s plenty of young men out there that are really excited about being a part of South Dakota football. And I think that’s the main thing. We want 105 guys that really want to be here. We all know what the plan of attack is for them to reach their goals. That’s my job.”
