How Indiana football will balance portal recruiting, prep for Peach Bowl
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
BLOOMINGTON — Oregon coach Dan Lanning got a laugh out of Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti during a playful exchange between the two while participating in a virtual press conference Saturday afternoon previewing the Peach Bowl.
Cignetti told reporters he had to hit pause on his prep work for the game with his coaching staff hosting 13 transfer recruits on campus. The group reportedly includes Michigan State receiver Nick Marsh and Penn State defensive lineman Xavier Gilliam.
“I’ll tell you, Coach Cignetti, keep focusing on those portal guys,” Lanning said.
The lone transfer portal window for college football opened on Friday and the CFP semifinalists are the only teams left in the country balancing the demand of game prep and recruiting.
“We’re going through the same thing here,” Lanning said. “I did a breakfast with some recruits this morning. It is what it is, right?”
Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti won’t let portal recruiting be a distraction
While Cignetti gave his staff and players a day off after a 38-3 win over Alabama, he was back in the office on Friday morning knowing that he would have to dedicate a significant amount of time this weekend to having one-on-one meetings with each portal player on campus.
He will shift his focus back to Oregon after those wrap up.
It all makes for a bit of a hectic schedule, but it’s manageable because campus visits from portal players aren’t quite the same thing as they are for prep recruits.
“They don’t need 48 hours on campus,” Cignetti said. “It’s usually one night, they’re making a business decision. They’re normally older guys. They’ve been through it. They know what they’re looking for. Either you’re a fit or you’re not.”
The portal window opened with Cignetti knowing what his team’s needs would be. While many players will wait until after the CFP to announce their future plans, he had retention discussions during an off week IU had right after the Big Ten title game.
Indiana will likely sign upwards of 15-20 transfers, given the number of players they have who are in their final year of eligibility and others leaving early for the NFL.
Indiana football isn’t worried about being ‘shorthanded’ during Peach Bowl prep
Cignetti told reporters on Thursday that he encouraged the IU players hitting the portal to stick with the team through the CFP.
“We would like them to continue to practice,” Cignetti said. “A few have chosen to go home and won’t be with us this week. I don’t think that’s going to present a problem for us in terms of our preparation.”
Cignetti didn’t specify the players leaving the team ahead of the Peach Bowl.
The only current IU players that entered the portal at the start of the window on Friday were a trio of reserve defenders, cornerback Amariyun Knighten and defensive linemen William and Andrew DePaepe.
This year the transfer portal runs from Jan. 2-16 and players competing in the national title game get an extra five days from Jan. 20-24 to make a decision.
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: How Indiana football’s portal recruiting will impact prep for Peach Bowl
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos