OK, there was no memo. This is all very unofficial. That doesn’t mean we should let it go unnoticed.
The NFL Draft in Pittsburgh will pull back the curtain on the remarkability of Cignetti’s Indiana Hoosiers going undefeated and winning the national championship.
OPINION: Don't believe Big Ten has really passed the SEC? Watch 2026 NFL Draft
Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) embraces his family on the field Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, after defeating the Miami (FL) Hurricanes in the College Football Playoff National Championship college football game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) reacts after the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium.Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) lifts the trophy after the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium.Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti holds up the trophy as the team celebrates winning the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium.Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) is interviewed by ESPN personality Rece Davis after winning the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium.Indiana Hoosiers defensive back Lincoln Murff (45) celebrates on the field Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, after defeating the Miami Hurricanes in the College Football Playoff National Championship college football game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti reacts after the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium.Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti celebrates on the field Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, after defeating the Miami Hurricanes in the College Football Playoff National Championship college football game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.A national champions flag is is seen after the College Football Playoff National Championship game between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium.Indiana Hoosiers defensive back Devan Boykin (12), wide receiver Elijah Sarratt (13) and linebacker PJ Nelson (30) celebrate after the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium.The Indiana Hoosiers celebrates after the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium.The Indiana Hoosiers reacts against the Miami Hurricanes in the second half during the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium.Indiana Hoosiers defensive back Ryland Gandy (10) reacts after the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium.The Indiana Hoosiers celebrates after the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium.Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) celebrates with wide receiver Charlie Becker (80) after scoring a touchdown against the Miami Hurricanes during the second half of the CFP National Championship college football game at Hard Rock Stadium.The Indiana Hoosiers celebrates after the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium.Indiana Hoosiers defensive back Jamari Sharpe (22) celebrates with defensive back Louis Moore (7) after making an interception against the Miami Hurricanes during the first half of the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium.Indiana Hoosiers defensive back Jamari Sharpe (22) reacts after getting an interception against the Miami Hurricanes in the second half during the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium.1 / 18Indiana Hoosiers claim first national football title over MiamiIndiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) embraces his family on the field Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, after defeating the Miami (FL) Hurricanes in the College Football Playoff National Championship college football game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.1 / 18Indiana Hoosiers claim first national football title over MiamiIndiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) embraces his family on the field Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, after defeating the Miami (FL) Hurricanes in the College Football Playoff National Championship college football game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.2 / 18Indiana Hoosiers claim first national football title over MiamiIndiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) reacts after the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium.3 / 18Indiana Hoosiers claim first national football title over MiamiIndiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) lifts the trophy after the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium.4 / 18Indiana Hoosiers claim first national football title over MiamiIndiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti holds up the trophy as the team celebrates winning the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium.5 / 18Indiana Hoosiers claim first national football title over MiamiIndiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) is interviewed by ESPN personality Rece Davis after winning the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium.6 / 18Indiana Hoosiers claim first national football title over MiamiIndiana Hoosiers defensive back Lincoln Murff (45) celebrates on the field Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, after defeating the Miami Hurricanes in the College Football Playoff National Championship college football game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.7 / 18Indiana Hoosiers claim first national football title over MiamiIndiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti reacts after the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium.8 / 18Indiana Hoosiers claim first national football title over MiamiIndiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti celebrates on the field Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, after defeating the Miami Hurricanes in the College Football Playoff National Championship college football game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.9 / 18Indiana Hoosiers claim first national football title over MiamiA national champions flag is is seen after the College Football Playoff National Championship game between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium.10 / 18Indiana Hoosiers claim first national football title over MiamiIndiana Hoosiers defensive back Devan Boykin (12), wide receiver Elijah Sarratt (13) and linebacker PJ Nelson (30) celebrate after the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium.11 / 18Indiana Hoosiers claim first national football title over MiamiThe Indiana Hoosiers celebrates after the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium.12 / 18Indiana Hoosiers claim first national football title over MiamiThe Indiana Hoosiers reacts against the Miami Hurricanes in the second half during the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium.13 / 18Indiana Hoosiers claim first national football title over MiamiIndiana Hoosiers defensive back Ryland Gandy (10) reacts after the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium.14 / 18Indiana Hoosiers claim first national football title over MiamiThe Indiana Hoosiers celebrates after the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium.15 / 18Indiana Hoosiers claim first national football title over MiamiIndiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) celebrates with wide receiver Charlie Becker (80) after scoring a touchdown against the Miami Hurricanes during the second half of the CFP National Championship college football game at Hard Rock Stadium.16 / 18Indiana Hoosiers claim first national football title over MiamiThe Indiana Hoosiers celebrates after the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium.17 / 18Indiana Hoosiers claim first national football title over MiamiIndiana Hoosiers defensive back Jamari Sharpe (22) celebrates with defensive back Louis Moore (7) after making an interception against the Miami Hurricanes during the first half of the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium.18 / 18Indiana Hoosiers claim first national football title over MiamiIndiana Hoosiers defensive back Jamari Sharpe (22) reacts after getting an interception against the Miami Hurricanes in the second half during the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium.Why NFL Draft proves Curt Cignetti can outcoach competitionFor many years, you could boil down the formula to winning a national championship like this: Out-talent everyone else.
Assemble the best players, put a competent coaching staff around them, and let that talent cook.
Nick Saban did it, better and more consistently than anyone. Then, Kirby Smart did it. Ryan Day executed that playbook in the 2024 season.
That makes Indiana’s championship such a zag to the sport’s usual zig.
The Hoosiers will be well-represented in this draft, but not to the level of champions past.
In 2021, Alabama tied a national record by having six players selected in the first round after going undefeated and winning Saban’s seventh and final national title in the pandemic season.
Months after Smart won his first national championship, 15 of his Bulldogs were drafted, including nine within the first three rounds.
That’s not to minimize the achievements of Saban and Smart, or Day, whose 2024 Buckeyes dominated the playoff before producing 14 draft picks.
Talent assembly is the name of the game, and those coaches did their jobs.
But, Cignetti came along and reinvented what a championship team can look like.
Several Hoosiers are projected to go throughout the draft's seven rounds. But, Indiana’s representation won’t be on par with the output of teams like 2019 LSU, 2020 Alabama, 2021 Georgia or 2024 Ohio State.
Fernando Mendoza’s impact on the Hoosiers’ national championship cannot be overstated. The Indiana quarterback should go to Las Vegas with the No. 1 overall pick.
Wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. might go in the first round, too, and projections call for cornerback D’Angelo Ponds and wide receiver Elijah Sarratt to come off the board in Rounds 2 or 3. A few more Hoosiers will be picked at some point, too, but don’t expect a draft bonanza to the extreme of national champions past.
Indiana didn’t out-talent every opponent, but it outplayed everyone it faced, sometimes by massive margins.
Alabama sent 12 players to the NFL scouting combine. Indiana sent nine.
I don’t need to remind anyone in Tuscaloosa of this, but the final score of the Rose Bowl looked like this:
“Just solid across the board. Consistent,” Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer said recently, when I asked him for his take on the Hoosiers’ success formula. “A lot of upperclassmen, older players.”