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MIAMI, FLORIDA - JANUARY 18: Head Coach Curt Cignetti of the Indiana Hoosiers speaks during the CFP National Championship Head Coaches News Conference at JW Marriott Marquis Miami on January 18, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images)

During the 2025 college football season, not many pundits took the Indiana Hoosiers seriously. No one expected them to seriously contend for the national championship. Curt Cignetti took IU to the College Football Playoff in his first year, but he had a light schedule.

Cignetti proved everyone wrong, leading the Hoosiers to an undefeated season. They used the Transfer Portal as a way to build a team that was able to win a national championship. It is the Hoosiers’ first national championship in program history.

Fans of other programs have accused the Hoosiers of buying a national championship. Cignetti recently talked about how much money he spent on NIL money for his entire roster.

The Indiana Hoosiers Spent Less Than You Think in NIL Money

During an appearance on Andy & Ari, Cignetti gave a better picture of what the Hoosiers spent on NIL last year.

“I’m not sure who has that information, or how public, or if the Big Ten has it, or whatever. I kinda quit Twitter, or X now it’s called, a while back. Kind of learned my lessons. I don’t know why I responded to that, I just saw it, and it kind of hit me. What I will tell you honestly is our final number was closer to $15 million than $40 million; now obviously, it was somewhere in between.”

Someone had tried to claim that the Indiana Hoosiers spent $40 million on their roster last year, and that’s why Cignetti replied to that post on social media. He decided not to give a firm figure on how much the program is spending, but he makes it seem it’s not as much as others claim it is.

Cignetti brought in a lot of older players last year, including quarterback Fernando Mendoza. He is clearly a fantastic evaluator when it comes to figuring out which players will fit best in his system. Those players meshed well together and helped win a title.

The Hoosiers Will Continue Their NIL Spending Habits

Before the season ended last year, Cignetti signed a massive contract extension to stay in Indiana. Indiana has also received several large donations from wealthy donors to make sure they have enough NIL money to keep up with their goals. They won’t be changing their habits any time soon.

However, the Indiana Hoosiers have a much tougher schedule this season. They still don’t play anyone good in the non-conference portion, but they do have to take on Ohio State, Michigan, and USC in a four-game span. That will make it harder to win the Big Ten.

Mendoza will almost certainly be the number-one overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. That will certainly help recruiting with the Hoosiers. Expect Cignetti to make the CFP with a different cast of characters than he has in the last couple of seasons.

The Indiana Hoosiers will likely begin next season ranked in the top 10 in the preseason polls.