Curt Cignetti can generate enthusiasm. Google it. Or rather, just read about it.
A healthy football program is mission critical to a Division I athletic department, and for the first time in this new NIL/transfer portal era of the sport, Indiana appears to be headed in the right direction.
The energy surrounding the IU football program since the hiring of Cignetti is undeniable, and an interview with Pete Thamel of ESPN helped highlight just how far the program has come in just a few months.
Cignetti told Thamel the NIL investment for IU football spiked considerably since the end of the 2023 season.
“I knew there would be an NIL commitment, at least triple what it had been,” Cignetti told Thamel. “As it turns out, it’s been more than that.”
Hoosiers For Good and Hoosiers Connect, IU’s official and primary collectives, drove multiple fundraising efforts towards the end of 2023. That included a $1 million matching campaign that was met.
Indiana also used the celebrities in its fan base to quickly raise at least another $3.4 million. That included a private concert by John Mellencamp that attracted the wealthiest of IU fans.
“We had an event with about 34 donors, with $100,000 get in for NIL,” Cignetti told ESPN. “He (Mellencamp) came and played three or four songs. It was awesome. Mark Cuban was there. So was his business partner, Todd Wagner. It was a great affair.”
What will Cignetti do with the cash?
Some of it has already been spent to rebuild the roster.
Indiana has brought in 22 new players via the transfer portal during the offseason, a group that ranks 29th best in the nation according to On3, weighing both talent coming in and going out. Indiana’s 2024 high school class was mostly built before Cignetti arrived and is ranked just No. 63, but does include one of the highest-rated recruits ever, in-state quarterback Tyler Cherry.
A recent announcement by Hoosiers for Good included several football players as recipients of NIL deals.
Cignetti also told Thamel there has been a 50 percent uptick in new season ticket sales compared to this time last year.
“We have seen a 50% increase in new season ticket sales this year compared with the same timeframe last year,” was the official statement The Daily Hoosier got from an IU spokesperson on that comment by Cignetti, emphasis added.
Indiana’s season ticket base is roughly half the capacity of Memorial Stadium, according to recent comments by AD Scott Dolson.
IU football begins spring practice on March 21 and that runs through April 18 when they’ll play a spring game open to the public.
The Hoosiers open the 2024 season on Aug. 31 against Florida International.
For complete coverage of IU football, GO HERE.
The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly”
- Find us on Facebook: thedailyhoosier
- You can follow us on Twitter: @daily_hoosier
- Seven ways to support completely free IU coverage at no cost to you.
