The transfer portal has completely changed the way college football teams recruit in today's landscape. One of the biggest winners of the transfer portal era has been the Indiana football program. Curt Cignetti led the Hoosiers to two consecutive College Football Playoff appearances and a national title this past season, thanks in large part to transfers. Cignetti will also never stop using it in Bloomington.
On the latest episode of “The Triple Option” podcast, Cignetti discussed how they used the transfer portal more at first, but now that they are building a reputation for winning, they are recruiting much better at the high school level. Over the course of three offseasons, the Hoosiers have used the transfer portal less and less, but Cignetti made it clear they will continue to dabble in it.
Cignetti said, “I think year one we took 32, year two we took 22, this year we took 17. So you see that number going down as high school recruiting builds. Now that we’re winning, the high school recruiting is getting better. It still takes those guys a little while to develop, so they can play winning football, and I don't care.
“A 24-year-old is going to play better than an 18-year-old,” Cignetti continued. “So I don't think you're ever going to see the day when you're not dabbling in the portal. And you know, maybe next year we're at 14. Who knows? But you always have critical needs, and you always have to win every single year. That's just the way the business is now.”
The transfer portal allows for a more immediate roster fix and makes it easy to fill depth with older players. High school players are still the lifeblood of college football, but they are not a slam dunk. High school players need time to develop the physicality required in the college game, which is why the transfer portal offers a valuable buffer zone.
It seems like Cignetti is going about it the right way: the transfer portal is here to stay and is part of the modern game, but he also realizes that relying on it year in and year out is unsustainable; instead, use it smartly, as they did this year.
