College Football Strategy Is Shifting in a Way Coaches Cannot Ignore

College football is changing, and the programs that adapt the smartest, not just the fastest, are the ones that will win. One of the biggest areas of change is recruiting.

NIL and the transfer portal have become two of the most important factors in building a roster, both at the high school level and with experienced college players. But while many programs are focused on spending big, the Indiana Hoosiers, led by Curt Cignetti, may have revealed a more sustainable blueprint.

Indiana has not consistently brought in top-20 recruiting or transfer portal classes under Cignetti, only recently landing the No. 9-ranked transfer portal class for the upcoming season. Yet those rankings weren’t the foundation of their national championship run.

Indiana Head Coach Curt Cignetti smiles. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Instead, Cignetti and his staff focused on something different. They prioritized identifying players who fit their system and targeting undervalued talent; players who may not boost recruiting rankings but can make a real impact on the field. It’s a strategy built on evaluation, not hype.

Ari Wasserman of On3 discussed this approach on "The Paul Finebaum Show," also referencing Dusty May and his success at Michigan.

"I think that what you'll see when you, you know, pop the hood on those two things with Cignetti and now May is that they did not spend the most money and they evaluated the portal very, very well," Wasserman said. "Brought in pieces that you know could form into a functional and very good team and executed at a high level. I think that will be the name of the game moving forward."

That idea challenges one of the biggest assumptions in the sport right now, that spending more guarantees better results.

To be fair, aggressive spending can work. The Texas Tech Red Raiders have embraced NIL and the portal, winning the Big 12 and reaching the College Football Playoff. Programs like the Ohio State Buckeyes have also invested heavily, particularly in retaining top talent.

But Indiana’s approach introduces a different conversation. It suggests that efficiency may matter more than volume. In a system with no true salary cap, the programs that win long-term may not be the ones that spend the most, but the ones that spend the smartest. Talent evaluation, roster fit, and development are becoming just as important as financial resources.

If that trend holds, Cignetti and Indiana won’t just be a great story; they’ll be a blueprint for the future of the sport.