""In my head, I was like, 'I wouldn't be surprised if Cig went for this guy and Cig went for that guy,' Horton, an All-Sun Belt tight end for James Madison, told ESPN. "I had a number myself. I was expecting five or six of us, but gosh, I didn't expect 13." The baker's dozen -- or Cig's dozen -- who went from JMU to Indiana included players of different ages, position groups and stages of football development.""
""Large groups of key players who join coaches at new programs is a tenet of the transfer portal era in college football. Penn State's 2026 roster has an Iowa State flavor because of those who followed Matt Campbell to Happy Valley. Oklahoma State's roster contains many of the North Texas stars who propelled coach Eric Morris to Stillwater. But the JMU crew has been different for Indiana.""
When Curt Cignetti accepted the Indiana job on Nov. 30, 2023, 13 James Madison players ultimately transferred to Indiana. The group included athletes from multiple ages, position groups and stages of development, ranging from established standouts to players with high potential. The influx mirrors broader transfer portal trends that have reshaped rosters across college football, with prior examples tied to coaches like Matt Campbell and Eric Morris. The JMU arrivals helped propel Indiana from historically poor performance to a No. 1 ranking in two years, produced All-Big Ten and All-American honors, and fueled key plays in the College Football Playoff semifinal.
Read at ESPN.com
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