With IU winning the CFP, showing how it can be done, we should have hope!
In this new NIL and Transfer Portal world of college football, this shows that any program can be turned around relatively quickly. I am cautiously optimistic - Go Hokies!
48 Replies
6mo
is attitude. As in eleven players executing to the best of their ability on each and every play, epitomized by Mendoza's TD run but also evident in receivers making sure the QB has an open man to throw to and then making the catch every time and on defense where every player flies to the ball, even when it's clear another guy has the tackle. Doubtless, this begins and ends with Cignetti. If a player doesn't exhibit the attitude, he doesn't play. Is Cignetti the only coach that can make this happen?!
(In response to this post by The Bear)
6mo
IMO it's something that you need Cignetti himself to duplicate. Cignetti's existence is going to get so many coaches fired, because schools will be comparing their guy to him. They'll say we gave you bunch of money for players, where is our championship? I forsee lots of folks crashing and burning trying to be him. Sure you can go out and buy a roster of more mature players, however I don't think you're likely to get out of them what Cignetti can. It's him. He is the X factor. I'm not down on our future at all, I just don't think anyone can be Cignetti except for well....Cignetti. Franklin was able to almost get to the big game doing things his way, so I'd prefer he just sticks with what has worked for him in his coaching career and see where that takes us.
(In response to this post by The Bear)
V
VTCALS72
6mo
(In response to this post by TekkNerd)
6mo
Texas Tech way better. BYU in the last 2 years starting to allow some tithing funds for their athletic program, and SMU was hoerible. Indiana spending big bucks over the past 10 years. The Indiana Coach is solid, but Indiana wouldnt be champs without recent major spending compared to what they formerly put in the football program.
(In response to this post by TekkNerd)
6mo
Their stadium is modest and they sure didn't spend on any 5 star recruits. And only a handful of 4 star. Now it's going to be a different story with the likes of Cuban hopping on board.
(In response to this post by Hate2SeeItEnd Hokie)
6mo
You still need the right coach for that. With that said, schools that are making significant investments aren't going to be happy with just significant improvement. They expect to win it all. I bet next years coaching carousel is going to be crazy.
(In response to this post by Hate2SeeItEnd Hokie)
6mo
But it's not guaranteed.
(In response to this post by TekkNerd)
6mo
IF (big if) you can evaluate talent to fit your system and have the resources ($$) to go get them and the ability/mechanism to go find them, recruiting (long-term) and portal (short-term), it can be done!
(In response to this post by TekkNerd)
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EDGEMAN
6mo
He doesn't give a crap about "star" ratings coming out of high school, but what players actually did when they got to college. It's sort of a "Moneyball" approach to portal recruiting.
I can see a lot of teams trying to adopt that strategy.
(In response to this post by TekkNerd)
6mo
I still stand by everything else I said. Lots of people will try to follow what he does, but I don't think they will be anywhere near as successful as he is.
(In response to this post by EDGEMAN)
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EDGEMAN
6mo
...don't think any of them would have been offered by IU. They are looking for quality productive players.
(In response to this post by TekkNerd)
6mo
they were younger? VT's older players may not have had the production history like Cignetti's older players.
(In response to this post by EDGEMAN)
6mo
season.
(In response to this post by TekkNerd)
6mo
Cig didnt just was a magician, the univeristy Athletic Dept and Board of Trustees commmitted almost a doublly in their athletic budget (including Direct subsidizing the program, more donations, and also huge infusion with NIL.
THis gave Cig the resources to do what he did (and he wa agressive in the PORTAL as well).
So.... this is not an altenate low income solution, it was high level of university investment, and having a coach that could leverage it and priority 3, Cig never had anyone second guess the hire in Indiana.
VT just starting, and Franklin got it going, now the athletic dept will be reorganized extremely (MORE TO COME), folks many know, will retire or ask to leave, this inlcudes not only mid managers, but support staff, finance, admisnistrative etc. Football will be more autonomous to the overall Athletic Dept. (no crazy AD watching over the head (like Kraft at PSU). Also, with the little snafu with admissions, more work is needed in university operations. Admissions got to reorganized to addressed the portal transfer environment, and be able to process, evaluate candidates quickly timely. These stduents are being entered differently than regular admissions processes. THis operations cell must make a call simply, 24 24 hours, with timely decisions, and early insights. and operate within the portal window area. (Otherwards be fully staffed during Christmas holidays area.)
(In response to this post by TekkNerd)
6mo
If Cuban gets more involved there (and he is talking to their collective), that $14M could increase much higher.
(In response to this post by 1947Sunbowl)
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EDGEMAN
6mo
Heck, he should have been fired 4 years ago.
(In response to this post by 1947Sunbowl)
6mo
coached team on both sides (actually all 3 counting Special Teams). He is of the Nick Saban mold but wins without the flashy 4-5 stars. Even his transfers with the exception of Mendoza weren't the big names you hear in the portal.
** Edited by HokieBrazil at 1/20/2026, 12:53:46 PM
(In response to this post by TekkNerd)
6mo
Go Hokies! We are going to see a much improved product next fall. I have the most hope I've had since about 2012.
(In response to this post by The Bear)
6mo
IU started this years ago before former Head Coach Tom Allen with investing heavy amounts of that B10 money into facilities, staffing, salaries, etc. The investments started to come in 2010-2014 when IU started to spend like a modern B10 program.
PHASE 1- 2010-2014
Major investments:
North End Zone facility (2010) - $55MC First major football infrastructure upgrade in decades
New weight room, Academic center, Training & rehab facilities, Coaches’ offices, Team meeting rooms, Strength & conditioning complex.
Kevin Wilson hire (2010)
First “modern” offensive‑minded coach. Higher salary pool for assistants
Memorial Stadium upgrades (2010–2014) - $8-9M
Scoreboards, premium seating, ribbon boards, New video Board, stadium sound upgrades
PHASE 2 - 2017-2020
What changed under Allen:
Massive contract extension (2021). $20.8M buyout if fired before Dec 2023. One of the largest buyouts in Big Ten history for a non‑blueblood
Assistant salary pool increased again massively
South End Zone / “Student-Athlete Excellence Academy” (Completed 2018) - $53M
Football Performance Center upgrades, New locker rooms, Players’ lounge, Nutrition center, Sports medicine & recovery facilities, Meeting rooms, Academic support spaces
Terry Tallen Indiana Football Complex Renovation (2019) - $10M
Renovated locker room. New branding, lighting, and player amenities, Upgraded training spaces
PHASE 3 - NIL era begins (2021–2025)
Mellencamp Pavilion Upgrades (Practice Facility) (2025) - $4M
Turf replacement (3rd replacement), Lighting upgrades, HVAC improvements, Structural improvements
Memorial Stadium Renovation (2024–2025) - $10M
Modernized seating, Concourse improvements, Fan‑experience upgrades, Infrastructure modernization
TOTAL MAJOR PROJECTS - $138M-143M and that does not include NIL Spending, Coaching contracts and buyouts, operating budget growth.
** Edited by AirborneHokie96 at 1/20/2026, 12:20:39 PM
(In response to this post by The Bear)
6mo
Are big boosters at IU.
Simon is the largest real estate investment trust in the world and is headquartered in Indianapolis. There is a good chance that there are many Simon executives that passed through Indiana University during their education process.
(In response to this post by AirborneHokie96)
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EDGEMAN
6mo
(In response to this post by tallahasseehokie)
6mo
Extremely hard to get into as well.
(In response to this post by EDGEMAN)
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EDGEMAN
6mo
The same goes for the majority of ACC schools too. I think those two are probably the most academically focused conferences. We do have outliers like Loserville, but overall the conference quality is pretty high.
(In response to this post by AirborneHokie96)
6mo
My future son-in-law got his undergrad at Kelly School and law degree/MBA at Miami. He is now working for Blackrock.
Daughter got her IU degree and is looking at either a Master's/MBA with a tech focus from Mendoza (ND) or VT. She just left Deloitte and is now at ServiceNow (major IU donor started the company).
(In response to this post by EDGEMAN)
6mo
The Indy Car dealerships are huge but the largest is the Cook Family. They put a lot of money into IU.
But yes, the Simon family, Lilly family and all the execs are huge donors. Salesforce and ServiceNow (where my daughter works and is a IU alum) owners and execs are huge donors.
(In response to this post by tallahasseehokie)
6mo
I think it is a bit disingenuous to think of Indiana U as the "David" against all the Goliaths. They have the largest living alumni base and some incredibly wealthy donors (anyone care to guess how much Cuban has invested in the program). As the original poster said, the decision was made 4+ years ago to invest, it was just done quietly. I would argue that it is remarkable that Indiana performed so badly for so long.
None of that takes away from the fact that Cignetti had an approach that was clearly effective, and he was able to identify players that could work together effectively and had a high ceiling. Honestly, if you look at Cignetti's tenure at all the places where he was head coach (IUP, Elon, JMU, and, now, Indiana) - it is remarkable.
(In response to this post by The Bear)
6mo
also univesity (in the past ) have not been engaged to them. WIth advancement taking over Hokie club, this will change. Also, hiring Franklin creates a national respected program builder, these new folks are impressed on his presentation, better than some low level intern, or a leader who stutters and aw shucks. convincing them to invest.
VT is working on fixing this.,
(In response to this post by Rationalist)
6mo
If it was just the money, Indiana would not have been able to overtake Michigan, OSU, or Penn State in its own league. Yes, Indiana has increased its spending. Yes, now that it has a solid 2 year run under its belt, IU will be competing (and is already signing) some of the highest level portal prospects. But that is NOT what turned that program around.
What did was the hiring of a coach who was relentless focused on winning. Who constantly demands, and gets, near-perfect execution. Who plays to win, not to avoid losing. Who has an excellent eye for talent and an amazing command of details.
Any school that thinks "we can be Indiana if we just spend more money" is doomed. The proper response is to evaluate the coach they have, and the criteria they used to select that coach, and ask themselves why Indiana was able to identify a coach of that quality while others were not. Maybe it was just luck. But that should be the goal, and the standard.
(In response to this post by Rationalist)
6mo
Just spending the money won't work, but even Cignetti said - “It takes a village. It takes money,” If you don't do part 1 then part 2 can't make up for millions not spent.
Indiana spent almost the same amount on NIL as Miami - just over 21 million, so I think we can argue that Cignettii is relentless and relentlessly demanded money for his roster.
(In response to this post by Gobbler Guru)
6mo
That may change a bit but there were other deep pockets that did a lot of heavy lifting at IU
(In response to this post by Rationalist)
6mo
of years ago. No clue how true that is. He'd given to the university itself, though.
(In response to this post by AirborneHokie96)
6mo
and I know that they were all meeting in Miami on how to get Cuban more involved there moving forward.
(In response to this post by reestuart)
6mo
or 2022 (I forget the exact year). It may be fair to say that all the work done prior to Cignetti's arrival laid the foundation for the perceived quick turnaround under him. How do the recent decisions the BoV made compare with the decisions Indiana made back then?
(In response to this post by The Bear)
6mo
the usual "haves" are not having such as easy time of it...
(In response to this post by VTHokie2000)
6mo
quick as people think at Indiana. Generally speaking, people tend to focus on the records of the HCs from season to season and overlook all the things the school may do behind the scenes which can help a HC build a winning program. As a result, the narrative is portraying Indiana as being this "overnight sensation." When in reality the "plan" had been in place for 5-15+ years and this year under Cignetti ended up being a perfect storm of that plan.
Unfortunately, fans will never know if Indiana would have been able to accomplish what it did in Cignetti's second year if it had not laid the foundation (aka all those various projects in the last 15 years) prior to his arrival. It doesn't take away what Cignetti accomplished this season because he was a huge part of it. It should show that having the "right HC" may not be enough because there are other pieces to this championship puzzle. Also, Indiana does provide a blueprint for non-blue blood programs on a path that will take a program to the summit if everyone is patient and leadership makes smart decisions at critical times.
(In response to this post by The Bear)
6mo
projects over a 15 year period
(In response to this post by VTHokie2000)
6mo
here under another post, talks about it. I tried to do a quick Google search, but I couldn't find the article or my post on here. Off the top of my head, I think the article said that 2021/22 was when Indiana started to increase the football program's budget. I don't remember if the article talked about those earlier projects or not.
** Edited by VTHokie2000 at 1/20/2026, 1:01:03 PM
(In response to this post by AirborneHokie96)
6mo
(In response to this post by VTHokie2000)
6mo
maybe even the BTN getting an earlier start than the ACCN. No doubt VT is behind the 8-ball for many reasons. There's no point to rehash the past because nothing can change. I do think that VT can learn a few things from Indiana's perceived "sudden rise to glory" even if there still some things out of reach because of the differences in the conferences. Hence why I am curious, from a marketing/rallying the fan base perspective, to get a sense where VT is now to where Indiana was when it made similar decisions that the BoV made.
Even if VT is never able to catch up to Indiana on (financial) paper, I am hoping that VT can at least win the perception war and give the fan base the hope it needs to believe VT is some day in the same ballpark as Indiana on the grid iron. That may be the bigger goal because it would be the easiest way to keep the fan base engaged in the long-term plan when the "new plan smell" and luster start to fade away because it is taking VT a little longer to accomplish each phase of the plan for various reasons.
(In response to this post by AirborneHokie96)
6mo
this year. Compare that with the $45M ACC schools are getting and you see a $25M/year delta before you get into NIL, donors, marketing/sponsorships, etc. In those areas, IU has been beyond VT and unlike VT, they haven't had to finance their growth and pay debt each year for 10-15 yr old projects. Practically every athletic field at IU has corporate sponsorships and a major donor name...and they are ALL very nice.
(In response to this post by VTHokie2000)
6mo
I was focused more on VT winning the perception battle if they want their plan to succeed over the long-term. Also, why I wanted to get a sense of where VT is now to where Indiana was because the financial reality could end up being the plan's biggest obstacle from succeeding. In order for the plan to be success, the fan base does need to believe in it and that VT has just as good of odds as any other similar school to become the "next Indiana."
(In response to this post by AirborneHokie96)
6mo
IU has been better financially supported for 15 years. As a basketball school, they have spent more on football-specific projects over those 15 years than a VT that wants to proclaim itself a football school.
I just don't know if VT has the financial ability to sustain things like an IU has done for the past 15 years...especially when they still debt service on older infrastructure and they don't have stable revenue streams at that level.
(In response to this post by VTHokie2000)
6mo
being until 2030/2031 when everyone is expecting some sort of movement within the ACC. If VT is trying to leverage a seat at the P2/P1 table, then it probably doesn't have the luxury of waiting 15 years for the pieces to finally fall into place. Unfortunately, VT needs to step up its flipping property game and be able to sell VT's long-term potential within a short window. In order for that happen, VT can't allow the fan base to abandon ship the moment the sea starts to get a little choppy.
If VT sells the reality that it will never be able to catch Indiana even if everyone gives 150% towards this plan, then we'll see fans heading towards the lifeboats while the boat is still docked in port. So VT has no choice but to sell the perception that it can be in the same ballpark as Indiana as long as the fans don't lose faith in the plan. Yes, that approach may be trying to sell Shangri La in the long run. However, it is better than the alternative especially if VT is able to secure a seat at the P2/P1 table and improve its financial situation. No risk no reward.
(In response to this post by AirborneHokie96)
6mo
wants to expand. Other than adding Notre Dame +1, they really don't want to expand at this point. And why would they want to expand? They have a competitive advantage over all other conferences.
Remember when I leaked the talks with PSU and JF? It wasn't because I knew someone who was friends with Franklin. It was because I am friends with folks at PSU and I can tell you that from the ADs perspective in the B10, they don't expect all of these "major" movements that fans seem to think is going to happen because their team got left behind 10 years ago.
The Big Ten already won the money war.
The Big Ten has:
The richest media deal in college sports
The largest per‑school distribution
The strongest brand stability
The most valuable inventory (Ohio State, Michigan, USC, Penn State, etc.)
When you’re already the market leader, you don’t take risks. There’s no financial pressure to expand. There’s no competitive pressure to expand. There’s no governance pressure to expand.
To make things work financially, any new member would need to add $70-100M in annual value, fit the academic profile, not dilute the brand and not create internal friction. There are maybe 2-3 schools that meet that threshhold and VT isn't one of them.
The current path is working perfectly.
(In response to this post by VTHokie2000)
6mo
interview J. Pearson gave TSL, it appears the BoV may believe there are some risks that are worth it. At least being left behind the P2/P1 world may not be an option for the BoV.
(In response to this post by AirborneHokie96)