When Indiana won its first-ever national championship this past season, the Hoosiers did it without any five-star recruits. In the NIL era, Curt Cignetti and Co. also weren’t one of the biggest spenders, even as roster costs rise.
The idea of a $40 million roster seemed like a “myth” in 2025, as On3’s Pete Nakos reported. But that number has been discussed ahead of the 2026 campaign and one general manager told On3 there could be “multiple” teams hitting the threshold.
In fact, during an interview with Front Office Sports, Alabama general manager Courtney Morgan predicted championship rosters could top $40 million in the current landscape. But after an Indiana fan page reposted the interview, Cignetti confirmed the Hoosiers did not spend that much or get close to it.
“Correct,” Cignetti wrote Thursday on X, “not even close.”
On3 previously reported Indiana spent just under $20 million on the roster that took down Miami to win the first national title in program history. But the Hoosiers have a notable alum in their corner in entrepreneur Mark Cuban, who had a strong presence around the program throughout the College Football Playoff.
In previous years, Cuban didn’t contribute much to the Indiana football program. But he built an immediate connection with Cignetti after he arrived from James Madison in 2024. The Indiana headman had a plan – and it didn’t necessarily involve going big-game hunting.
Instead, Curt Cignetti wanted to build a culture of winning at Indiana. That resonated with Cuban, who later made multiple donations to the program, including one ahead of this past transfer portal window.
“Honestly, I really jumped in because of how [Cignetti] approaches building a program,” Cuban told CBS Sports ahead of the national title game. “They weren’t about, ‘Okay, give me enough money to go win the portal, to win this bidding war.’ He had a very specific approach to his culture. … He understood roles and how to get guys. It’s not even like the NBA where you might keep a guy like Dirk [Nowitzki] for 21 years or [Dwyane Wade]. Here, it’s like, you might have him for one year. That takes a very special way of putting together a program.
“You need the right players who know their roles, the right coaches. Once I understood that, it was pretty straightforward.”