Curt Cignetti, Indiana Dealt Bad News on Wednesday

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Curt Cignetti, Indiana Dealt Bad News on Wednesday

Curt Cignetti and the No. 1 seed Indiana Hoosiers earned a trip to the College Football Playoff semifinal after a dominant 38-3 win over Kalen DeBoer and No. 9 seed Alabama Crimson Tide in the Rose Bowl. Now, Indiana will look to advance to the national championship as it faces the No. 5 seed Oregon Ducks in the Peach Bowl.

While Cignetti and the Hoosiers continue their pursuit of a first national championship, the program has remained active in the transfer portal. Indiana has added 10 transfers for the 2026 season, including three four-star prospects, while seven players have departed. However, one highly touted prospect previously linked to Indiana has opted to go elsewhere.

Wayne Knight, a 5-foot-6 running back out of Smyrna High School (Smyrna, Delaware), was an unranked prospect in the class of 2022 (247Sports). He still received 13 offers from smaller programs such as Navy, Maine and Pennsylvania, but ultimately elected to play college ball with the James Madison Dukes.

James Madison Dukes running back Wayne Knight (3) rushes during the second quarter against the Oregon DucksTroy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Knight spent his first two seasons at James Madison under Cignetti, before he joined Indiana, but the running back didn’t see much action, redshirting in 2023. Knight earned a bigger role in his third season with the Dukes (2024), recording 77 carries for 449 yards and two touchdowns.

But in the 2025 college football season, Knight really broke out, tallying 207 carries for 1,373 yards (7th in the nation) and nine touchdowns, adding 40 catches for another 397 yards and one score through the air. He even helped James Madison earn a spot in the College Football Playoff before losing to Oregon in the first round. In that game, Knight notched 17 carries for 110 yards.

But Knight elected to spend his final year of college eligibility elsewhere, entering the transfer portal. And the running back was linked to Indiana, per SB Nation, potentially rejoining his former coach. However, Cignetti was unable to land the redshirt junior, as Knight has elected to join the UCLA Bruins.

“BREAKING: JMU star transfer RB Wayne Knight has committed to UCLA, source tells @On3Sports,” On3’s Hayes Fawcett wrote on X. “He totaled 1,770 yards and 10 TDs this season. Knight was named an All-American, 1st Team All-Sun Belt, and was a finalist for the Paul Hornung Award.”

While Cignetti and Indiana continue to add players for the 2026 season, they will continue their CFP run against Oregon on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Related: Ohio State’s Caleb Downs Shares Off-Field Update After College Football Season

This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jan 7, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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