In a World of Indiana Football and Nebraska Basketball, Anything Is Possible
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Nebraska football fans have endured more hardship than most in the last two decades. From the heights of the 1990s to the long slog through the doldrums of college football, Husker fans have heard every explanation imaginable for why the turnaround takes time and why rebuilding Nebraska “isn’t as easy as people think.” Two years ago, I tended to agree with that argument.
But in a world of Indiana football and Nebraska basketball, my sympathies have waned.
No one—absolutely no one—picked Curt Cignetti or Fred Hoiberg to produce at the level they have in their respective sports. And yet, here we are.
What Changed
For decades, the scales were tipped heavily in favor of the traditional powers. Blueblood programs in dominant conferences had structural advantages that felt insurmountable. Alabama under Nick Saban looked untouchable, a standard mere mortals could admire but never reach.
Then came the transfer portal and NIL.
College sports have been flipped on their head. Money is now the ultimate decider for many athletes when choosing where to play. Programs can no longer dabble on the edges of change. You either jump in boots and all—or you fall behind, as Clemson’s Dabo Swinney has shown. And by “jump in,” I mean spending aggressively, like you’ve struck oil.
Rebuilds are no longer traditional three-year projects. They are supercharged every January, between January 2nd and January 16th. Miss that window, and you’re chasing the pack.
Identity
The portal can catapult a team into contention faster than a hiccup, but it can be just as destructive in the wrong hands. This is where Curt Cignetti and Fred Hoiberg separate themselves.
They know who they are—and more importantly, what their teams are supposed to look like.
“Identity” is a cliché, but it remains the pillar upon which every great program is built. Without it, talent accumulation becomes random, and cohesion never materializes.
Take Matt Rhule, for example. He arrived at Nebraska preaching physical football—running the ball for four quarters and controlling the clock. Then he hired a throwing-minded offensive coordinator and brought in a pocket-passing quarterback in Dylan Raiola. Nebraska football still lacks clarity on what it wants to be.
You cannot reverse-engineer identity after you’ve already built the roster without producing mediocrity.
Identify
The second key in the Cignetti-Hoiberg comparison is the ability to identify the right talent to execute that identity.
Cignetti was so confident in his vision that he brought players en masse from James Madison University to Indiana to make it happen. JMU is hardly a college football powerhouse, but that didn’t matter. Those players fit his system.
Hoiberg did the same. He built Nebraska basketball around the style he wanted to play, targeting players who fit that mold rather than chasing recruiting stars. The results have been undeniable.
This is the real secret: it’s not about how many stars a player has next to their name. It’s about whether they fit what you’re trying to build.
The Nebraska Question
Behind the scenes, Nebraska football has constructed a well-oiled machine. The infrastructure, resources, and experienced staff rival almost anyone in the country.
My concern is that Matt Rhule hasn’t fully settled on his identity yet—an essential step if he’s going to harness that support system to properly identify and recruit the right talent.
There is no reason Nebraska cannot make enormous strides in today’s college football landscape. The resources are there. The commitment is there. And with Matt Rhule locked in as head coach for the foreseeable future, the clock is ticking.
In a world where Indiana football and Nebraska basketball can rise, Nebraska football has no excuse not to figure it out—and fast.
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