Indiana's Curt Cignetti Balances Rose Bowl Prep with 2026 Roster Building Amid Portal Chaos
BLOOMINGTON - The biggest game in Indiana football history is just days away, but head coach Curt Cignetti is already working two timelines: the Rose Bowl and the 2026 roster.
It’s the reality of modern college football. While the Hoosiers, a perfect 13-0 and ranked No. 1, are locked in on their New Year’s Day clash with No. 9 Alabama, the calendar waits for no one - especially not when the NCAA’s newly condensed transfer portal window looms just one day after the Rose Bowl ends.
From Jan. 2 to Jan. 16, the portal will be open. That gives programs like Indiana a tight window to fill roster gaps, re-recruit their own players, and pivot quickly into offseason mode. For Cignetti and his staff, that means having a clear plan in place before the team steps onto the field in Pasadena.
“We're probably 95% through, what I would call the key guys, sort of the guys that everybody knows,” Cignetti said. “So we're almost home in that front.”
Translation: Indiana’s staff has already done most of the heavy lifting when it comes to identifying priority targets and keeping tabs on internal roster movement. But the work isn’t done.
Filling the Gaps
Indiana will have some significant holes to patch, regardless of what happens against Alabama. Several key contributors have exhausted their eligibility, including:
- RB Roman Hemby
- OL Pat Coogan
- S Louis Moore
- WR Elijah Sarratt
- LB Aiden Fisher
That’s a core group of veterans who helped power Indiana’s historic run. Replacing them won’t be easy - and that’s before factoring in the wildcard of early NFL Draft declarations. With draft-eligible talent potentially leaving early, the Hoosiers could be facing more turnover than expected.
And in today’s college football landscape, roster management isn’t just about bringing in new talent. It’s about retention.
Coaches now find themselves in a year-round battle to keep their own players from hitting the portal. That means conversations about NIL deals, revenue-sharing agreements, and long-term development plans - all of which are becoming eerily similar to NFL-style free agency.
Programs are even beginning to announce returning players with language that mirrors pro contracts, saying they've "re-signed" them. It’s a new era, and Cignetti is navigating it like a coach who understands the stakes.
No Names, But Clarity Coming
Cignetti hasn’t named names when it comes to who’s staying, who might be leaving, or who’s on the radar. But fans won’t have to wait long. Once Indiana’s postseason run concludes, the picture will come into focus quickly.
For teams like IU that make the national title game, the NCAA provides a five-day extension - from Jan. 20 to Jan. 24 - to give players more time to enter the portal. That buffer could be crucial for Indiana, especially if the Rose Bowl turns into something even bigger.
A Broken Calendar?
While Cignetti has embraced the challenge, he’s also made it clear: the current NCAA calendar isn’t doing coaches - or players - any favors.
“I definitely think the calendar could be improved,” he said. “And that would be unanimous amongst the coaches.”
His suggestion? Start the regular season a week earlier and push the playoff schedule up to give programs more breathing room between the end of the season and the start of portal and recruiting chaos. That would allow staffs to better focus on both high school prospects and portal additions - without having to juggle it all during the most important games of the year.
Until then, it’s a balancing act. Game prep on one side, roster management on the other. And for Curt Cignetti and Indiana, both could define the next chapter of this remarkable season - and the seasons to come.