Curt Cignetti won the national title despite not having a single 5-star recruit. He took the underrecruited players and instilled his winning mindset, and the rest was history. Most of Indiana’s production came from the portal as Cignetti brought in 56 transfers in just two years. But now, that strategy needs to change while keeping that winning mindset intact.

“Those numbers have gone down, like from 33 to 22 to 17, and this year will probably be lower as you build the high school recruiting,” Cignetti said on NBC Sports’ August 7 episode. “It’s a challenge when you’re in the playoffs. The portal part of it. Now when you don’t win in the first round, as we did against Notre Dame, you’re back at it. But last year was really a challenge. I still think we did very well.”

When Cignetti arrived in Bloomington, he brought in 13 players from JMU with him to IU. D’Angelo Ponds, one of those players, was also the most valuable player during the 2025 playoffs. Aiden Fisher, another transfer, finished with 97 tackles and 4.5 sacks. Elijah Sarret was Fernando Mendoza’s primary target.

Moreover, players like Lee Beebe and Zach Horton provided that crucial depth and stepped up whenever the coaches called on them. But it wasn’t just former JMU players; Indiana also had elite talent spread over the roster from other programs. So, players like Fernando Mendoza and Justice Ellison are just a few names Cignetti welcomed to his fold. But now, the strategy needs to change.

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It’s also important because Cignetti lost several players after Notre Dame beat them in the 2024 playoffs. Although he kept several starters, players like Tayven Jackson, Joshua Rudolph, and Elijah Green opted to transfer out in the December portal window. Cignetti plans to avoid that by building through high school recruiting.

“The first year when Indiana wasn’t very good, and we had all the time to recruit, that was a great haul,” Cignetti said. “But roster management: you want to build the foundation of the house with the high school guys, and the portal guys are critical-need guys. But they still have to be not only good players and have the position-specific requirements, but strong character and smart guys.”

In the 2026 cycle, that change in strategy is fully visible in Indiana’s camp. Cignetti has brought in just 17 players from the portal and focused largely on recruiting. For that reason, he has a respectable 29th-ranked high school class in the country with names like Gabe Hill and Kevontay Hugan. While there is not a single 5-star recruit in the 2026 cycle, Cignetti has done it in the 2027 class.

His 2027 class already has 17 recruits and also the commitment of the nation’s 2nd-ranked WR, Monshun Sales. By all means, it seems Cignetti is finally moving to a high school recruiting approach. The transfer portal will remain important since that’s where Cignetti will look to replace his NFL departures and players with expired eligibility.