Why Indiana Football Is No Fluke - And Why the NFL Draft Will Prove It
Let’s get one thing straight: Indiana football isn’t riding a wave of luck, smoke, or mirrors. This is about talent - real, high-level, NFL-caliber talent - and the kind of roster that wins championships in the modern era of college football.
It’s not just that Indiana is good. It’s that they might be better than some of the sport’s biggest brands.
Think Alabama, Oregon, USC, Michigan - and yes, maybe even Ohio State. That’s the level we’re talking about.
And it all starts with the players.
Built for Sundays
Quarterback Fernando Mendoza is the headliner. He's not just a future pro; he’s a potential No. 1 overall pick in April’s NFL Draft.
At worst? He’s top five.
That’s the kind of quarterback who doesn’t just elevate a college program - he transforms it.
But Mendoza is far from alone. Wide receiver Elijah Sarratt and cornerback D’Angelo Ponds are both projected first-rounders. Left tackle Carter Smith has been a rock, neutralizing elite edge rushers week after week, and he’ll get one more big test in the national title game against Miami’s Rueben Bain Jr., a top-10 draft prospect himself.
There’s also Omar Cooper Jr., a touchdown machine with 22 career scores. Aiden Fisher, the All-American linebacker who followed head coach Curt Cignetti from James Madison and blossomed into a star. Center Pat Coogan, edge rusher Mikail Kamara, and running back Roman Hemby - all pros in waiting.
An AFC scout put it plainly: “A bunch of guys who will play a long time in this league. Football players, guys who love the game. It will be the most Indiana players ever drafted by a long way.”
This isn’t a Cinderella story. It’s a blueprint.
Cignetti’s Culture Shift
Head coach Curt Cignetti knows what elite looks like - he’s coached under Nick Saban at Alabama, where blue-chip talent is the baseline. And he’ll tell you: this Indiana team stacks up.
“We’ve got a lot of veteran guys that have strong character,” Cignetti said. “Great leaders, great players.”
That leadership, that buy-in, that experience - it’s all part of the equation. But let’s not overcomplicate it.
At the core, this is about dudes who can play. Because in big moments, you can’t fake it.
You either rise or you fold. And Indiana’s roster keeps rising.
Experience Isn't a Crime
There’s been a lot of noise around Indiana’s rise - whispers about their players being “too old,” or about NIL advantages, or whatever else the internet wants to throw out there. But let’s be clear: experience has always existed in college football.
Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Northwestern - they’ve fielded older rosters for years. And most of them couldn’t sniff bowl eligibility.
Indiana’s had older teams before, too. They didn’t win. Not like this.
It’s not about age. It’s about talent - and coaching.
Need proof? Arkansas had 17 fourth- or fifth-year starters last year.
They won two games. Penn State, Nebraska, Arizona State, Wisconsin - all loaded with experience.
None of them cracked the code.
Meanwhile, Ohio State’s 2024 national title team was built on a $20 million NIL investment. They retained key veterans, paid to keep a senior center and a fifth-year quarterback, and surrounded them with elite freshman talent.
Nobody blinked. That was viewed as a bold, championship-caliber move.
So why the double standard with Indiana?
The New Normal
This is the NIL era. The transfer portal era.
The era where roster construction is king. And Indiana has built a monster.
They’ve done it without cutting corners. No recruiting violations.
No stolen practice film. Just a smart, aggressive approach to building a roster - and the right coach to lead it.
Programs like Ole Miss have done the same. They nearly made the national title game with 15 starters who were fourth- or fifth-year players.
That wasn’t a scandal. That was smart team-building.
Indiana? They were once one of college football’s perennial bottom-feeders.
Now they’re the model. And if that disrupts the old guard, so be it.
From Skeptics to Believers
“There was a lot of skepticism last year, that we were a fluke,” Cignetti said. “That team did a lot of great things and got it all started.”
This year’s team? They’re finishing it.
Indiana is on the doorstep of a national championship. And if you want to understand why, don’t look at message boards or conspiracy theories.
Look at the NFL Draft in four months. Look at the names called on Day 1, Day 2, and early Day 3.
Because when you boil it down, one truth remains: elite players win games.
And Indiana has them - in spades.