Latest news with #CurtCignetti
Indianapolis Star
4 days ago
- Business
- Indianapolis Star
'Get the industry fixed': Why Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti wants 'regulation, rules'
BORDEN — Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti is eager for some clarity from the governing bodies of college athletics. He anticipates the House v. NCAA settlement to move forward in the coming weeks, but told reporters Wednesday during an appearance at the athletic department's annual booster dinner at Huber's Orchard that the coming revenue-sharing framework and NIL clearinghouse won't solve all the issues plaguing collegiate athletics. "We need regulation, we need rules, so that we all can plan and do what we are hired to do cause right now there's just a lot of uncertainty," Cignetti said. "How many (transfer) portal windows are there going to be? When are they going to be? And I could go on and on. We got to get the industry fixed, the game is great. We got to get the industry fixed." The final approval of the settlement won't do much to impact IU football's day-to-day operations. Much of the Power Four was already operating under the proposed revenue-sharing framework back when the portal opened in December. "There was a lot of front-loading of NIL deals, people trying to make transactions before the rev-share did pass because of the NIL Go will go into effect immediately," Cignetti said. "That created a bit of a different world and some anxiety, a little more anxiety than normal." Cignetti is more concerned about the lack of clarity on the other major topics impacting collegiate athletics, including the transfer portal and eligibility rules. He circled back to the topic when he talked about IU's 2026 signing class. The class currently features nine verbal commitments — Cignetti hinted that there's more to come — but he's still not sure how many players the Hoosiers will take thanks to the lack of overall clarity with the portal windows. "If I just knew when the portal date would be, and what the portal pool would look like, I could figure out whether we are taking 20 or 17 high school guys relative to what our team needs look like next year," Cignetti said. "Right now it's hard to plan cause we can't get any answers." Insider: How 'Operation Bigfoot' brought Hoosier the bison back to life. Why IU finds value in mascot Twelve teams? Sixteen teams? How many automatic bids should each conference get? Should their be automatic bids at all? The discussion about the format for the College Football Playoff in coming years has taken center stage at the SEC Meetings this week in Destin, Florida, with commissioner Greg Sankey along with the conference's athletic directors and coaches all weighing in. Cignetti wasn't interested in adding his voice to the growing chorus of opinions on how things should be structured. "I've been part of all the different formats, DII and FCS, at the end of the day there's one team standing whether you start with 64 or eight — there's going to be one standing at the end, no matter what the number is, somebody is going to feel bad that they got left out," Cignetti said with a smirk. "That's just the way it works, you can't make everyone happy." Also in Borden: Will Luke Goode, Anthony Leal play for IU basketball next season? Where eligibility stands The closest Cignetti got to weighing in was admitting he likes the tweaks the committee made for next year that include removing the automatic byes for conference champions and goes to a straight seeding format. "The straight seeding is a good thing, would have been nice to have that last year and had a home game, 12 and a half point favorite," Cignetti said. "We were still in control of our own destiny and didn't get the job done. If you pinned me down, I'd probably have an opinion, but it's not worth stating."
Fox Sports
5 days ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
The Bison is back: Indiana Hoosiers announce return of beloved '60s mascot
Hoosier the Bison is returning home to Indiana University. On Tuesday, the school announced that Hoosier the Bison, Indiana University's beloved mascot from 1965 to 1969, will be back roaming the sidelines in Bloomington. The announcement was made in a cameo-filled video that featured several prominent figures in the athletic department, including football coach Curt Cignetti and men's basketball coach Darian DeVries. The decision to bring back the mascot comes after a successful football season, in which the Hoosiers went 11-2 overall en route to its first-ever College Football Playoff appearance. In the midst of their surprise season, the IU Student Government introduced the Bring Back the Bison Act of 2024. The bill passed in December. Prior to its official return, the bison could still be found around Bloomington, including an image of it holding a mug of beer at local bar Nick's English Hut. Hoosier the Bison will make his official return in the fall, according to the video announcement. Reporting by The Associated Press. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! recommended Get more from College Football Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Big Ten Spotlight: Four programs that need a big June
June has become arguably the most important month in the recruiting calendar, with prospects crisscrossing the country on official visits and lining up announcement dates. Rivals national recruiting analyst Greg Smith looks at four Big Ten programs that need to capitalize in the coming weeks. RELATED: Big Ten team recruiting rankings JUNE PREVIEW: Biggest storylines this weekend RECRUITING RUMORS: Pivotal weeks on deck for 2026 recruiting cycle CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State CLASS OF 2027 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State TRANSFER PORTAL: Full coverage | Player ranking | Team ranking | Transfer search | Transfer Tracker RIVALS CAMP SERIES: Rivals Five-Star heading back to Indy | Rivals Five-Star roster | Schedule/info INDIANA It's always going to be tricky judging Indiana's recruiting classes. The Hoosiers had a magical season last year, finishing 11-2 in coach Curt Cignetti's first season running the program. But a lot of that success was built with players brought in from the portal. But now you'd expect there to be a bump in the Hoosiers' high school recruiting. Advertisement That hasn't happened yet for the 2026 cycle. Indiana has nine commitments right now and things have picked up with three of them coming in May. But if the Hoosiers are going to get a bump on the trail for this class, it'll need a huge June. One name to watch that would change the perception of the class is Jerquaden Guilford. The talented receiver from Indiana is very high on the Hoosiers and would be a game changer. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH INDIANA FANS AT MICHIGAN Jeff McCulloch/ Things are picking up in Ann Arbor on the recruiting trail with a pair of nice tight end commitments in June. However, we haven't seen the early run of commitments this cycle that we might have anticipated after the Wolverines finished so strongly last cycle. Advertisement There might be a reason for that though. The program is in on a number of high-profile prospects that have elected to take official visits before committing to a school. Five-star offensive lineman Felix Ojo, four-star defensive end McHale Blade and four-star offensive tackle Carter Scruggs are among the blue-chip prospects taking June official visits to Michigan. It'll be a huge month for coach Sherrone Moore. RELATED: Michigan's 2026 commitment list SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH MICHIGAN FANS AT MICHIGAN STATE Nick Lucero/ Right now, the Spartans are sitting last in the Big Ten Team Recruiting Rankings. So it goes without saying that the Spartans need a big June to turn things around. The four commits in the class are great building blocks. Especially four-star quarterback Kayd Coffman, who continues to see new offers come in. But the Spartans need other reinforcements to help coach Jonathan Smith's rebuild. Advertisement They missed out on priority running back target Kory Amachree after spending a lot of time recruiting him. But the Spartans are likely to flip Iowa State defensive back commit Brayden Thomas. If they can find a way to keep four-star offensive lineman Khalief Canty home, it'd be a huge boost to the recruiting class. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH MICHIGAN STATE FANS AT NEBRASKA Nick Lucero/ The Huskers' recruiting class is very much in limbo right now. There are only four verbal pledges in the class. One of them, four-star defensive back CJ Bronaugh, is a pretty soft commit with several official visits set and other schools trying to get him on campus. The Huskers are going to take a smaller class so it seems the plan was to aim high and see where things land. Advertisement The issue is that Nebraska is already missing on top targets before it can get guys on campus for official visits. The latest example of that is defensive end Titan Davis, who did not have the Huskers in his reworked top group. Nebraska has some huge official visits scheduled. Offensive tackles Kelvin Obot and Claude Mpouma have a lot of upside. Priority four-star linebacker flip target Jordan Campbell would be a jewel of the class. Beating out Oklahoma on four-star running back DeZephen Walker would boost the class. Don't count out the Huskers because they've gone on huge runs before but they need a massive June. SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH NEBRASKA FANS AT
USA Today
12-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Takeaways as Big Ten, SEC dominate recent college football top 25 rankings
Takeaways as Big Ten, SEC dominate recent college football top 25 rankings While it is only May, top 25 rankings are coming in bunches as the summertime anticipation for college football builds with each passing day. With kickoff approaching, albeit slowly, there are early signs of life as to what teams may be good, who has the talent, and who has question marks remaining. Ari Wasserman of On3 is one of the most recent top 25 rankings to drop, and his rankings have the usual suspects at the top who are expected to be College Football Playoff contenders. While he has those teams, he also has some exclusions of teams that raise some eyebrows. As fans know, the top 25 is subject to being completely upended each year. One team will plummet from the top 10 into the unranked irrelevancy, while a sleeper team that no one is discussing will make a charge and become a household name. With his rankings solely featuring power conference teams, here are the biggest takeaways from the rankings. Big Ten and SEC reign supreme It is clear who the kings of college football are. The Big Ten and the SEC boast the most talent across the college football landscape, as evidenced in these rankings. The SEC makes up 11 of the top 25, with four of the top 10 teams. The Big Ten is represented by five teams and also has four of the top 10. The two power conferences combine for 15 of the top 25 and eight of the top 10 teams. Big 12 disrespect The Big 12 is getting no respect in these rankings. The first Big 12 team does not come until Arizona State at No. 12. After that, the conference picks up some steam with Texas Tech at No. 16 and Kansas State at No. 23. The conference sent one team to the college football playoff last year, and early rankings point to the belief that the conference champion is going to be the sole representative once again. Who's missing? These top 25 rankings include a few curious exclusions from some teams that had excellent years last year, but may be due for regression in 2025. The first exclusion is the Indiana Hoosiers, led by head coach Curt Cignetti. After becoming America's darling in 2024 with a run to the College Football Playoff, Indiana may come back to reality in a tough 2025. Another exclusion, and continued disrespect to the Big 12, is Iowa State. The Cyclones hit the 11-win mark last year and return Rocco Becht, a trendy candidate as a top quarterback in the conference. Iowa State is unranked in these rankings, but remains lurking. No Group of Five love Wasserman's rankings include an exclusion that is not just a team or a conference, but an entire collection of conferences. The entire Group of Five is excluded from these rankings as all 25 spots belong to the Big Ten, SEC, ACC, Big 12 and Notre Dame. While the comparisons of the teams involved are different, the odds of the top 25 not including any are minuscule. The final College Football Playoff rankings of 2024 included four Group of Five teams with representation from the Mountain West and American.
Indianapolis Star
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Who is in Indiana football's 2026 recruiting class? Son of NFL player and state's top player
Recruiting for the Class of 2026 is about to ramp up and Indiana football already has a strong base to build from. The Hoosiers received six commitments over a 12-day stretch beginning in late April to add depth to their class before recruiting ramps up further over the summer months. Late May and into June are busy weekends as recruits will visit the Bloomington campus and be able to meet with Curt Cignetti and his staff. Though Cignetti and his staff still have work to do, the class rated 40th in On3's industry rankings paces one off his first full recruiting class (2025) last season, which ranked 39th. IndyStar will track who has committed to Cignetti and IU for the 2026 class. The pitch: Curt Cignetti has 'results to show.' It's helping Indiana football recruiting Listed alphabetically Trevor Gibbs, linebacker, Crown Point Gibbs is the sixth-best recruit in the state per On3's industry rankings and No. 791 nationally, and he'll bypass an archrival's campus en route to play for the Hoosiers. Listed 6 foot 3, 230 pounds on his Hudl, Gibbs had 60 tackles,three interceptions and a forced fumble. Read full story here. Kasmir Hicks, cornerback, Decatur Central The state's top recruit "felt at home" when visiting Bloomington and the star quarterback will likely play the other side of the ball for Cignetti's Hoosiers. Hicks is listed at 5 foot 11, 160 pounds and is a three-star recruit rated No. 413 nationally per On3's industry rankings. IndyStar's Kyle Neddenriep caught up with Hicks about his commitment to IU. Read the full story here. Henry Ohlinger, athlete, Columbus Grandview Heights (Ohio) Ohlinger is listed as an athlete but he's a standout running back escaping Ohio State's backyard. He is listed at 6-1, 214 pounds and a four-star prospect rated No. 329 nationally per On3's industry rankings. Ohlinger has rushed for 3,002 yards and 48 touchdowns in three seasons, which includes 1,582 yards and 30 TDs in his junior season. Watch highlights and read more here. Jacob Savage, linebacker, Union Ryle (Kentucky) Savage was a two-way starter at Ryle but projects to his defensive position in college. He is 6-1, 219 pounds and rated three stars and No. 969 nationally by On3's industry rankings. It was a regional recruiting win for Cignetti as Savage's home-state Louisville and IU archrival Purdue were among those who offered. Read the full story here. 'Best in Indiana go to Indiana.' Top-30 national recruit has options. Many. But IU is in mix Samuel Simpson, offensive line, River Falls (Wisconsin) The first commitment of Cignetti's class came Feb. 1 on the offensive side of the ball as Simpson projects as an interior lineman. Simpson is rated the top player in the state of Wisconsin, three stars and No. 560 nationally per On3's industry rankings. Blake Smythe, defensive line, Franklin Smythe is a big addition to Cignetti's defensive line at 6-3, 275 pounds with another year to get stronger. He was rated three stars, No. 841 nationally by On3's industry rankings. He believes in Cignetti and defensive coordinator Bryant Haines, and the vision that IU can be a perennial College Football Playoff contestant. IndyStar's Kyle Neddenriep caught up with Smythe about his commitment to IU. Read the full story here. Lawrence Timmons, cornerback, Pittsburgh Pine-Richland (Pennsylvania) Jay Timmons spent many years watching his father, Lawrence, lay lumbering hits as part of the Steel Curtain in Pittsburgh. Now, Timmons, will continue his career at IU after his commitment over Pitt, West Virginia, Wisconsin and others. Timmons is rated three stars and No. 484 nationally by On3's industry rankings. Unlike his father, Timmons, who goes by Jay, is slotted to play defensive back. Rodney White, defensive line, Towson Concordia Prep (Maryland) White will beef up the defensive line at 6-1, 280 pounds with another year to add strength to his frame. He was rated three stars and No. 1,001 by On3's industry rankings. This story will be updated.
