I agree these players need pulling back in, they are running the show right now. Duke has every right to make this a legal battle as the contract signed is very clear they own his NIL rights and the contract doesn’t expire until 12/2026. In the end he listened to his dumb agent like Williams (Washington). The end result is Miami might have to pay Duke to get his rights $5 million or so then pay Mensah $6 or $7 million. That’s a lot for one player. There goes the CFP money or half.
'25 (in-season) - '26 CFB Portal Thread
- Thread starter Tom McAndrew
- Start date
Right. Once Ruth and Taylor graduate psu wrestling will come back to the pack.
Ps. Does cignetti get to keep his national championship?
I remember reading here during Cignetti’s first year at Indiana posters were saying that next year Cignetti would be toast when Rouke and a lot of the JMU transfers would be gone. Well, his next year was nothing short of spectacular. I‘ve followed Cignetti ever since his IUP days. I had a relative play for him there. Nobody has a better eye for transfer talent than Cignetti. Even at IUP he would bring in transfer talent to fill out his roster weak spots. He was especially good at bringing in QB‘s who ended up all conference. He’s still doing it today. Only better. This guy is no fluke.
He is a very impressive fooball coach.
I doubt he can keep it up but his recent success has made Indiana an attractive option for recruits. I expect Indiana to remain reasonably strong due to recent momentum but maybe fall back to top 15 territory.
Cignetti, even at his other stops, did not have championship teams ever year. I never meant to imply that. But as long as Cignetti will be at IU I seriously doubt any of his teams will be toast. That was my intent.
Cignetti understands how to win in today's landscape. Three consecutive years he has not looked to develop a QB in his program opting rather to bring in an upperclassmen with experience. Only 1 QB recruit in 2025; a 3* Bell who will likely never see the field, just like Mendoza'a little brother. 0 in 2026.
Talking heads are saying that he had to do this at Indiana, but now that he has won the championship, he will embrace the hoary model of old where you chase 18 years and pay them gobs of money so that they can leverage you every year for more or jump ship when someone poaches them with more money. Look at his 2026 class and tell me how many high school recruits have more than a 3* rating. Two. And he was successful enough last year to surely sign higher rated players. And it is not a financial thing assuming that Cuban is cutting checks for IU.
Cignetti understands that maturity and experience win and the rules allow him to put a team of grown as* men on the field to play against recently graduated highschoolers. My sense is that more and more coaches, especially those with money behind them, will buy into this.
The sport is not what it was. Evolve or become irrelevant.
It goes well beyond just the QB.... Indiana had 47 players on their roster between the ages of 22 and 25.... their starting lineup had an average age of just under 24 years. Cignetti has shown that he is a good Professional Coach / GM (clearly has a very good eye for seasoned talent). However Cignetti would not have had the success he's having without the Professionalization of the college game - these athletes are no longer amateur student-athletes with the future of the programs coming from high school recruiting. These athletes are NFL aged Professionals playing Professional Minor-League Football with universities' names lamely written on their jerseys.
Even with all of the graduating seniors, Campbell has increased the average age of our program. I think we are following a similar path. I’m not sure we’ll rent a senior QB every year, but I do believe based on the portal activity of allowing our high star 2nd and 3rd stringers walk and replacing them with experienced players that we will be taking the best fit experience approach.
For those old enough to remember Cignetti’s approach reminds me some of George Allen during his NFL days. Give me veterans. Give me experience. Give me production.
2025 pre-season, B1G media poll had Indiana slotted to finish 6th. The experts.
I wouldn’t underestimate Cig.
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That $5 million becomes 8. Schools might be reluctant to sign Mensah until his dispute is settled.
He could go 0-12 next 3 seasons and be fired and he will still be an IU legend and thus will be one if the most historic seasons in CFB history.
And for any of our fans still wanting to rag on him and underestimate him
2026 - IU Natty
1986 - Our last FB Natty (and yes, I do feel we were f’d with 94 team not getting their due)
And for any of our fans still wanting to rag on him and underestimate him
2026 - IU Natty
1986 - Our last FB Natty (and yes, I do feel we were f’d with 94 team not getting their due)
PSU definitely should count 1994 as a National Championship, as several polls recognized it, especially since there were no playoffs then. Other schools have done this. I consider it to be a NC, and the back of the old scoreboard in the South End Zone had it on there along with 1982 and 1986. PSU also can claim two NCs in the 1910s.
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If Pitt can claim national championships in years they played Clarion and local high schools then PSU can claim a few more too.
You stole my thunder. I was just thinking the same thing. Cignetti is essentially following George Allen’s strategy of “The future is now”. Allen traded most of his draft picks in exchange for older and more experienced players. That happened in the early 1970s.
Sometimes it pays dividends to read history to learn “new” things.
They didn’t? I guess they paid him all that money to give lectures during biology class.
I think the schools are claiming that they signed a contract; imagine that.
Well:
1) It would be illegal to pay him in a quid pro quo to play football for them.
2) TTBOMK, They didn't/haven't paid him anything for the 2026 season.
So - what is the "contract" for? His "NIL Rights" (I have seen that term bandied about)
If so, what are his "NIL Rights"? What ARE they?
Has anyone ever defined that? Valued that? So, who would care what his "NIL Rights" are - or who "owns" them - if they even are a thing?
It is all a complete $&#^storm of idiocy, deception, disingenuousness (that is the kind term for lying - so Bushy is correct on that issue). The whole thing.
And 99% of the "hot take" sports-talk commentaries surrounding every aspect of it are unreasoned jibberish (I think the colloquial term for that is "click bait")
So it goes.
Let’s Portal!
If your family has money and a scholarship isn’t necessary, do you have to enter the portal? Can you transfer anytime the school allows it based on the academic calendar?
Let’s Portal!
Who was the Cal LB that Rojas was openly recruiting? Where did that guy transfer to?
PSU definitely should county 1994 as a National Championship, as several polls recognized it, especially since there was no playoffs then. Other schools have done this.
I wonder if this free agent is aware that he actually might have to go to class at Northwestern.