Overview
- Curt Cignetti said at Indiana’s offseason media availability that the current market for name, image and likeness deals and transfer-portal activity is “pretty expensive” and “scary,” and that changes are needed soon or college football may not survive in its present form.
- Cignetti said he supports paying players but urged concrete guardrails to curb runaway spending and protect university budgets over the next one to two years.
- A recent roster-valuation report from The NIL Standard put Indiana’s roster near $32.4 million, a marked increase from prior estimates and an example of how public valuations have risen program costs.
- Indiana’s national title and a wealthy donor base, including billionaire alumnus Mark Cuban, have boosted the program’s NIL capacity while Cignetti says he still prioritizes financial efficiency by recruiting overlooked players and transfer-portal talent.
- Policy responses are under discussion in Congress and by sports governing bodies but no binding, systemwide reforms have been implemented yet, leaving competitive balance and university budgets at risk if no consensus is reached.