How Indiana and 13 other schools built rosters in Year 1

During his first 20 days at Indiana, Curt Cignetti did not see much daylight.

Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson sent the plane to pick up his new head coach on Dec. 1. What Cignetti and his staff discovered upon landing in Bloomington was a roster crisis. Nineteen scholarship players were already in the transfer portal, including 13 who'd started. They had three weeks to rebuild a Big Ten team.

Cignetti drove to work in the dark before 5 a.m. He'd typically work out of his new office until 11 p.m. One night, it was 12:30. "Haven't done that since 1986," he joked. He was proud that, at 63, he could still do it. The process of assembling the 2024 Hoosiers required an incalculable amount of film, phone calls and coffee.

"It was pedal to the metal, full steam ahead," Cignetti said.

Cignetti was one of 14 new head coaches hired by Power 4 programs this offseason. Each one dealt with transfer attrition to some degree. None of them lost more than Indiana, with 37 scholarship players ultimately departing after the firing of Tom Allen.

But every job comes with different circumstances. Some are positioned for instant success and some are at rock bottom. Below we'll detail how Cignetti rebuilt the Indiana roster and how the other 13 Power 4 first-year coaches did as well. We've tiered each roster construction.

Jump to a tier:

Plug and play

Start from scratch

The in-between-ers

Portal minimalists

Plug and play

Five programs that are winning big in Year 1 with plenty of help from players acquired via the portal.

Indiana (6-0)

Transfers: 30

Starts by transfers: 80

Snaps by transfers: 4,399

Six games in, it's clear Cignetti knew what he was doing. Indiana is 6-0 and ranked No. 16 thanks to those tireless transfer portal efforts in December. Of all the newly hired coaching staffs going through Year 1, Cignetti's crew has arguably Moneyballed the transfer portal better than anyone.

This year's Indiana team began their breakthrough season with 30 transfers and a total of 54 newcomers. The undefeated Hoosiers haven't trailed in any game this season, but Cignetti was absolutely playing from behind on Day 1.

"It got to the point where, yeah, it hit me where we were: Not in a very good spot," Cignetti says with a laugh now. "But it actually turned out to be a blessing. Because it was very evident to me, after talking to a lot of the guys that were here last year, that we needed as many new names here as possible."

Cignetti inherited a 3-9 team but fully expected to win.

"We're gonna do it now," he said. "We're not building it and trying to get it done in four years. Nowadays in college football, you gotta win now. The portal allows you to do that."

Cignetti and his staff were able to sign 13 of their former players from James Madison, an important first step for resetting their program culture. Eight of the JMU imports -- running back Ty Son Lawton, receiver Elijah Sarratt, tight end Zach Horton, defensive linemen Mikail Kamara and James Carpenter, linebackers Aiden Fisher and Jailin Walker and cornerback D'Angelo Ponds -- are starters and leaders for the Hoosiers. Cignetti insists he never expected that many to make the move to Bloomington, but their decisions helped generate momentum.

When it came to recruiting transfers he didn't know, Cignetti had a clear objective: Production over potential. Multi-year starters over blue-chip backups. The transfers he signed came from all over -- Wisconsin, Wake Forest, Texas Tech, Old Dominion, Kent State -- but came with experience. There's an intangible factor there, he reasons, that's you have to trust.

"There's something that guy's got that keeps him on the field for 12 games a year for two or three straight years, you know what I mean?" Cignetti said. "I just put a premium on those guys that are out there practicing day in and day out, playing game in and game out and producing year in and year out."

That's what he loved about quarterback Kurtis Rourke. Cignetti had no prior connections to the sixth-year senior from Ohio. He just liked his tape and his résumé: 33 career starts, almost 1,000 career pass attempts, lots of touchdowns (61), not many interceptions (16), MAC Player of the Year in 2022. Rourke was lightly recruited when he entered the portal, earning offers from Wake Forest, BYU and Vanderbilt, and thought about going pro.

Cignetti sold him on their track record: four consecutive James Madison QBs earned conference Player of the Year honors. Rourke, the Big Ten's second-leading passer, might make it five.

Dolson, Indiana's athletic director, watched the December recruiting rush with amazement. His new coach had a blueprint and attacked it with efficiency and confidence. "He does not waste time," Dolson said. The last answer Cignetti offered when he interviewed for the job has stuck with the AD to this day.

"I remember at the very end, I said: Do you think you can win here?" Dolson said. "He said, 'Scott, believe this. Honestly, if I had just average resources, I will win there. Trust me.'"

In November, the Indianapolis Star reported Indiana was committing $3 million in NIL funding to support its new coach. Dolson said they ended up doing "a lot better than that." Competing in the Big Ten -- and in the portal -- required significant investment.

"Our fans and donors stepped up in an incredible way that really put us in a position to be able to build a roster," Dolson said.

By the time Cignetti got to signing day on Dec. 20, he liked their haul. He vowed they got the right guys off the bus and the right ones on it. Among the 40 players who started games for Indiana in 2023, only 14 remain on the roster. When the Hoosiers beat Northwestern to secure bowl eligibility, they did so with a starting lineup featuring just three returning starters and 14 new transfers. It's a brand-new squad in so many ways that just keeps winning.

The head coach knows having a senior-heavy roster this fall means they'll need to heavily recruit the portal in December.

"You're gonna have to do it again," Cignetti said. But at this point, it's easy to trust his plan. "I've said to anyone who will listen, and most importantly our fans: He's not a one-hit wonder," Dolson said. "He's a program builder, and that's what we want to do here."

Texas A&M (5-1)

Transfers: 24

Starts by transfers: 53

Snaps by transfers: 3,307

Blue-chip talent like Walter Nolen and Evan Stewart leaving College Station at the end of Jimbo Fisher's tenure generated a lot of headlines. Not nearly enough attention was paid to who Mike Elko and his staff brought in to replace them.

The Aggies had a bunch of needs to address via the portal and found plenty who've made an early impact. Ten of their transfer newcomers were in the starting lineup for the Aggies' 41-10 rout of No. 9 Missouri. Purdue transfer defensive end Nic Scourton has been the best of the bunch and is living up to the hype as a potential first-round pick with 10 tackles for loss, second-most in the SEC.

Five transfers have earned starts in the secondary between Will Lee II (Kansas State), Dezz Ricks (Alabama), Marcus Ratcliffe (San Diego State), Jaydon Hill (Florida) and BJ Mayes (UAB). Transfers Ar'maj Adams-Reed (Kansas) and Kolinu'u Faaiu (Utah) have fared well on the offensive line, and TE Tre Watson (Washington) has started every game. Finding 14 players in this portal recruiting haul who have already played more than 100 snaps is a good sign that Elko and his staff found more hits than misses.

Syracuse (5-1)

Transfers: 19

Starts by transfers: 50

Snaps by transfers: 3,251

Fran Brown took over a program that had been hit hard by portal attrition in recent years, and 27 scholarship players departed after the firing of coach Dino Babers. Brown comes from a defensive background but did an excellent job of reloading on offense with quarterback Kyle McCord (Ohio State), receivers Jackson Meeks (Georgia) and Zeed Haynes (Georgia), left tackle Da'Metrius Weatherspoon (Howard) and right tackle Savion Washington (Colorado). All came in and earned starting jobs. McCord came in eager to prove himself after his season as the Buckeyes' starter and has been excellent, emerging as the ACC's second-leading passer with 2,160 yards and 19 touchdowns.

"I should send Ryan Day a bottle of champagne for allowing us to get him," Brown said earlier this season.

On defense, Texas A&M transfer defensive end Fadil Diggs has been one of the ACC's most disruptive pass rushers with 8 tackles for loss and 4 sacks, and the new staff was able to address its needs in the secondary by bringing back safety Duce Chestnut after he spent a season at LSU and finding two more veteran starters in cornerback Clarence Lewis (Notre Dame) and safety Devin Grant (Buffalo).

Duke (5-1)

Transfers: 20

Starts by transfers: 38

Snaps by transfers: 2,410

The Blue Devils' hot start has them exceeding expectations in Year 1 under Manny Diaz, who's making the most of his second chance as an ACC head coach. Seven starters transferred to other Power 4 programs during the coaching transition, but the players who came in to replace them have stepped up. Texas transfer QB Maalik Murphy is playing with increasing confidence as a redshirt sophomore, throwing for 1,431 yards and 14 touchdowns with only five interceptions. New Mexico State transfer running back Star Thomas is on pace for a career-best year with 621 yards from scrimmage and four TDs. Offensive linemen Bruno Fina (UCLA) and Caleb Krings (Elon) have helped fill the void left by NFL draft picks Graham Barton and Jacob Monk.

Linebacker Alex Howard, a Youngstown State transfer who made a brief stop at Texas A&M, leads the team with 47 tackles and 9 TFLs (second-most in the ACC). He's one of three new starters via the portal who've helped Duke remain one of the best defenses in the conference despite all the change.

Alabama (5-1)

Transfers: 14

Starts by transfers: 30

Snaps by transfers: 2,270

Alabama lost a total of 31 scholarship players to the transfer portal (well, technically 30 since Kadyn Proctor came back) over the course of its monumental offseason transition from coach Nick Saban to Kalen DeBoer. The new head coach and his staff brought a few impact players with them from Washington - receiver Germie Bernard and center Parker Brailsford have started every game this season -- but were pretty selective about their portal additions.

They were fortunate USC transfer cornerback Domani Jackson stuck with his commitment after pledging to play for Saban. He's putting together a great season in Kane Wommack's defense, allowing just 103 passing yards on 19 targets with four pass breakups and two interceptions, including the game-sealing pick to beat South Carolina. Safety Keon Sabb, the Michigan transfer brought in to help replace Caleb Downs, has also had some highlight moments while playing 404 snaps, second-most on the team.

Start from scratch

Programs that knew they were going on a rebuilding journey in 2024 and loaded up accordingly.

Mississippi State (1-5)

Transfers: 18

Starts by transfers: 55

Snaps by transfers: 3,214

Jeff Lebby had an awful lot of recruiting to do when he arrived in Starkville. The former Oklahoma OC was tasked with rebuilding the Bulldogs' offense via the portal and had to go find good under-the-radar talent capable of competing in the SEC. He had some rough luck with Baylor transfer QB Blake Shapen, who suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in his fourth start, but did find a bunch of newcomers on that side of the ball who are producing.

Attempting to fix an offensive line with transfer recruiting is always a tough task, but Lebby and his staff did pull four starters out of the portal in Makylan Pounders (Memphis), Jacoby Jackson (Texas Tech), Ethan Miner (North Texas) and Marlon Martinez (LSU). They hit on Louisville transfer receiver Kevin Coleman Jr., who ranks eighth in the SEC in receiving, and South Carolina transfer linebacker Stone Blanton is the conference's third-leading tackler.

Houston (2-4)

Transfers: 27

Starts by transfers: 54

Snaps by transfers: 3,432

Houston's roster flip was just as aggressive as Indiana's in terms of incoming talent, with 63 total newcomers joining the program under first-year coach Willie Fritz. Much like Cignetti, Fritz has won everywhere he's been. This staff only ended up bringing four players from Tulane and had to go heavy on the portal to replace what they lost (nine P4 transfers) and start constructing a team that can compete in the Big 12.

Eight of their transfer additions have earned starts on defense, led by Tulane transfers Kentrell Webb and Keith Cooper Jr. and ULM transfer Michael Batton, who's off to a productive start with a team-high 42 stops. But the real headliner from this class may end up being promising young QB Zeon Chriss. The Louisiana transfer stepped in after back-to-back shutout losses and shined in a 30-19 road win at TCU with 141 passing yards, 97 rushing yards and two scores. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound playmaker is only a redshirt sophomore and gives Fritz an exciting talent to potentially build around over the next few years.

Michigan State (3-3)

Transfers: 24

Starts by transfers: 51

Snaps by transfers: 3,508

Jonathan Smith inherited a rather chaotic roster situation when he accepted the Michigan State job. The Spartans ended up having 42 scholarship players put their names in the portal this offseason. The new staff convinced seven of those players to stay but had to watch 17 of them matriculate to other P4 programs.

Any program that takes that kind of a hit is going to take a step back in Year 1, but this staff did a solid job of recruiting replacements. They were able to bring quarterback Aidan Chiles, tight end Jack Velling and offensive lineman Tanner Miller from Oregon State but ended up signing transfers from all over the country. Along with Chiles and Miller, offensive lineman Luke Newman (Holy Cross), defensive lineman D'Quan Douse (Georgia Tech), linebacker Jordan Turner (Wisconsin) and defensive back Nikai Martinez (UCF) have started every game this season.

UCLA (1-5)

Transfers: 19

Starts by transfers: 34

Snaps by transfers: 2,055

The belated timing of Chip Kelly's departure, leaving to become Ohio State's offensive coordinator on Feb. 9, probably ended up helping new coach DeShaun Foster and his staff hold their team together. Only six scholarship players transferred out in the spring and 14 total left in the offseason. That's not too bad, but it also didn't give Foster much room to remake the roster entering the program's debut season in the Big Ten.

So far, eight new transfers have earned starts this season. The Bruins had some rebuilding to do in the secondary after losing Kamari Ramsey and John Humphrey to USC. They picked up four transfer starters in Bryan Addison (Oregon), K.J. Wallace (Georgia Tech), Kaylin Moore (Cal) and Ramon Henderson (Notre Dame) but currently rank last in the Big Ten in pass defense.

The in-between-ers

These next two are not quite win-now situations nor full-scale rebuilds but are playing out somewhere in between. They're also extremely intertwined.

Washington (4-3)

Transfers: 27

Starts by transfers: 77

Snaps by transfers: 4,489

Jedd Fisch took on a fascinating project in Seattle, leading a program fresh off a run to a national championship game but starting over in 2024 without 10 NFL draft picks or 22 scholarship players who transferred (including 18 to P4 schools). DeBoer had already signed and brought in new transfers, including Mississippi State QB Will Rogers, before he left. That's a tricky mix of lingering high expectations with a new-look team.

Fisch brought in a dozen scholarship transfers from Arizona and five have earned starts, led by cornerback Ephesians Prysock and running back Jonah Coleman. Rogers is as experienced as it gets and has played well, throwing for 1,820 yards with 13 touchdowns and just two interceptions. The Huskies had to replace most of the offensive line that won the Joe Moore Award in 2023 and found three transfer starters in Drew Azzopardi (San Diego State), Enokk Vimahi (Ohio State) and D'Angalo Titialii (Portland State).

Arizona (3-3)

Transfers: 24

Starts by transfers: 38

Snaps by transfers: 2,369

If all the players who went from Arizona to Washington had stayed, would it guarantee the Wildcats are a serious Big 12 title contender under Brent Brennan? Hard to say, especially given all the injuries the Wildcats are dealing with at this point.

Brennan had lots of roster needs to confront upon landing his dream job and ended up signing 11 transfers who've started games this fall. Four San Jose State transfers -- running back Quali Conley, tight end Sam Olson, offensive lineman Ryan Stewart and defensive end Tre Smith -- followed this coaching staff to Tucson and have played a ton as expected. The Wildcats had to add help on the D-line after losing seven scholarship players to the portal and did find immediate transfer contributors up front. Still, this roster took some tough hits and this first season in the Big 12 isn't playing out quite like they hoped, though there's still time to turn things around.

Portal minimalists

Three Year 1 programs whose head coaches took over under unusual circumstances that didn't call for a transfer-heavy approach.

Michigan (4-2)

Transfers: 9

Starts by transfers: 15

Snaps by transfers: 1,067

It's easy to look back with the benefit of hindsight and second guess why Sherrone Moore didn't go get a proven portal QB or an impact wide receiver or more help for his offensive line. It's also fair to point out that by the time Jim Harbaugh decided to take the Los Angeles Chargers job on Jan. 24, the best of the best at those premium positions were off the market. The two transfers Michigan did land in December -- offensive lineman Josh Priebe (Northwestern) and linebacker Jaishawn Barham (Maryland) -- have started every game this season and weren't misses. Among the post-spring pickups, receiver C.J. Charleston and cornerback Aamir Hall have earned starts and kicker Dominic Zvada is 8-for-8 on field-goal attempts. But time will tell whether this Michigan team would've seriously benefitted from investing in many more transfers.

Boston College (4-2)

Transfers: 10

Starts by transfers: 11

Snaps by transfers: 895

Here's another head coach who was officially hired after the winter portal window closed. Bill O'Brien got this job on Feb. 9 and inherited this portal class. The Eagles only lost five scholarship players after the coaching change. There wasn't much room to add more.

How are these newcomers who committed to play for Jeff Hafley performing? Not bad. Running back Treshaun Ward (Kansas State) leads the team in rushing, tight end Kamari Morales (North Carolina) has scored three TDs and backup QB Grayson James was able to lead a fourth-quarter rally to beat Western Kentucky in his lone start.

Northwestern (3-3)

Transfers: 6

Starts by transfers: 11

Snaps by transfers: 650

David Braun only lost 11 scholarship transfers in his first offseason in charge after being promoted from interim coach, a total that ranked sixth fewest among Power 4 programs. The Wildcats picked up two starters for its offensive line in Cooper Lovelace (USC) and Jack Bailey (Colorado) and added veteran quarterback in Mike Wright after Brendan Sullivan transferred to Iowa. The former Mississippi State and Vanderbilt starter was benched after a 1-1 start for redshirt sophomore Jack Lausch. Those three are the only transfer newcomers who've played so far this season.

Braun will take the occasional grad transfer who fits, but he isn't looking to turn Northwestern into a program that's chasing many players in the portal.