It’s almost time for college football’s top pro prospects to sprint, pass, bench press and interview their way to their next job. The 2026 NFL Scouting Combine is held all week in Indianapolis, an opportunity for nearly 400 NFL draft candidates to show off their tangibles – and a few intangibles – to coaches and team executives looking to bolster their rosters with young talent.

But before we get to all the on-field measuring at Lucas Oil Stadium, the top brass from teams around the league are set to address reporters in Indianapolis. USA TODAY Sports is live in Indianapolis, and will bring you the latest news and rumors from the combine across the week. Return here for the latest from the Feb. 24 coach and general manager appearances.

Texans GM shuts down CJ Stroud trade rumors

‘He’s our quarterback. He ain’t going anywhere,’ he said. … ‘This league is about ups and downs.’

Ben Johnson has high praise of Tyson Bagent

The Bears head coach had good things to say about his backup passer at the combine, saying he’s a starting-caliber player

“I’m probably of the mind that he’s one of the best 32 (quarterbacks) in the NFL,’ Johnson said at the combine.

Bagent is currently under contract through the 2027 season, so any interested teams would have to trade for him.

Atlanta Falcons confirm Kirk Cousins’ impending release

Quarterback Kirk Cousins will be a free agent come March, as Falcons GM Ian Cunningham told radio station 92.9 The Game that the team intends to release Cousins on the first day of the league year. ‘Out of respect for Kirk and Michael (Penix Jr.), felt like that was the right decision,’ The Athletic’s Josh Kendall reports.

Steelers GM: Team in communication with Aaron Rodgers

Pittsburgh GM Omar Khan told reporters that he’s been in communication with Aaron Rodgers but had nothing new to report on a potential return. ‘I don’t see this going like it did last year,’ Khan said, according to ESPN Steelers reporter Brooke Pryor.

Detroit Lions to participate in 2026 NFL Munich game

The NFL announced that the Detroit Lions will be one of the participants in this fall’s NFL game in Munich, Germany. The game will be one of a league-most nine NFL international games, played at the FC Bayern Munich Stadium.

Read more about the announcement here.

2026 NFL Scouting Combine guide: Everything you need to know

How to watch the NFL combine in 2026

TV channel: NFL Network
Stream: NFL+ | Fubo

Stream the NFL combine on Fubo

Where is the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine?

On-field events will take place at Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis, home of the Indianapolis Colts.

2026 NFL combine schedule

Monday, Feb. 23

Coach and general manager media availabilities

Tuesday, Feb. 24

Coach and general manager media availabilities

Wednesday, Feb. 25

Coach and general manager media availabilities
Defensive line, kicker and linebacker media interviews

Thursday, Feb. 26

Defensive line, kicker and linebacker measurements and on-field drills
Defensive back and tight end media interviews

Friday, Feb. 27

Defensive back and tight end measurements and on-field drills
Defensive line, kicker and linebacker bench presses
Quarterback, running back and wide receiver media interviews

Saturday, Feb. 28

Quarterback, running back and wide receiver measurements and on-field drills
Defensive back and tight end bench presses
Offensive line media interviews

Sunday, March 1

Offensive line measurements and on-field drills
Quarterback, running back and wide receiver bench presses

When is the 2026 NFL draft?

This week’s combine is the appetizer for the main course of the NFL offseason: the league’s annual draft. This year’s draft will be held in Pittsburgh from April 23-25.

Donald Trump has shown himself to be a major college football fan for much of his presidency.

The 45th and 47th U.S. President has attended eight college football games during his two stints, including the 2026 national championship game between Indiana and Miami in January.

His latest appearance in the college football world came on Josh Pate’s College Football Show on Thursday, Feb. 19, with the show being released on Sunday, Feb. 22. The 10-minute interview featured Pate asking Trump questions about the state of college football.

Keeping with college football, Pate avoided political questions, peppering Trump with questions about different aspects of the state of the sport.

Here’s a look at the highlights of Pate’s interview with Trump:

Takeaways from Josh Pate sit down interview with President Donald Trump

Trump dislikes NFL kickoff rules

The first question to President Trump was about college football’s structure and enforceable rules, when it comes to the transfer portal and NIL.

Right away, Trump said, “It’s too bad. I hate to see it,’ regarding the lack of control currently in college football. But the president pivoted on NFL kickoff rule changes, saying, ‘I think it’s very bad for the NFL and I hope college football doesn’t do that.’

Trump ultimately did not answer the question about how the governance of college football, and what changes he thinks need to be made.

How Trump picks college football games to attend

Pate then asked President Trump his process of how he picks and chooses the games he attends

Picking the best games involves picking the best teams, according to Trump. The 4-8 South Carolina Gamecocks were the first team to receive a shoutout, as well as Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton, who was in the crowd.

‘I look around and say, South Carolina is good. Georgia is good,’ Trump said. ‘I like this Georgia team. I like the Georgia quarterback, by the way.’

He also added he liked watching Nick Saban and Urban Meyer coach, though both have retired (Meyer in 2019 and Saban in 2024). Pate then proceeded to ask Trump about a recent golfing outing with Saban and Meyer. While Meyer said the conversations were strictly about football, Trump contradicted the former Ohio State and Florida coach, saying that the conversations were more about politics than college football.

What does Trump look for when hiring someone?

Pate then pivoted to the 2026 national championship game that Trump attended. Using Curt Cignetti and Mario Cristobal as examples of good hires Indiana and Miami made, respectively, Pate asked Trump what goes into a good hire.

Trump went on to compliment his current cabinet, saying he learned a lot from the experience of his first term. He then complimented former Georgia star Herschel Walker.

‘Herschel is a special guy,’ Trump said. ‘I think Herschel did very well. He tried very hard in his Senate run. … I think you could make the case he was the greatest player in college football.’

The final three questions revolved around what Trump learned from his first term to use in his second, ‘the moment he realized he was president’ and separating personal issues from business, with those lightly touching on sports.

WATCH: Donald Trump interview with Josh Pate

The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina are over, and the United States is returning with two gold medal hockey teams. The women’s side was able to outlast Canada in overtime and won on a phenomenal stick rip into backhand goal from Megan Keller, whereas the men also won in overtime courtesy of a snipe from Jack Hughes.

The USA was abuzz after the wins, but while hockey is over internationally, NHL fans are now eagerly awaiting the recommencement of a season that is entering its final stretch. There are divisional races like the brutally tight Atlantic and the similarly close Pacific, dominant teams like the Colorado Avalanche (although their shine wore off a bit going into the break), and teams that are just plain fun like the Wild, where Quinn Hughes was traded from Vancouver earlier in the season.

There’s a little something for everyone, and with most teams having about 25 games left to play this year, there’s a lot of on-ramp ahead of the always-exciting Stanley Cup playoffs. Not to mention, there were some amazing players who didn’t compete in the athletes due to the international ban on Russia, including all-time NHL goals leader Alex Ovechkin, plus Andrei Vasilevsky and Ilya Sorokin, arguably the best two goalies in the sport.

Of course, those looking to support some of the key players who won Team USA gold may be disappointed. Connor Hellebuyck’s Winnipeg Jets and Jack Hughes’ New Jersey Devils are all but out of the playoff race. With that being said, other key players like Quinn Hughes and Dylan Larkin are firmly in the thick of things.

Here’s what to know about the NHL season as it stands, and who fans can root for depending on their proclivities.

The obvious: Geography

If you’re in a city with a team, the easiest move to root for that team. This probably doesn’t need exposition.

USA! USA!

If you just can’t get away from the high of that Team USA win, there are a few players to look out for. Quinn Hughes, who notched the game-winner for the United States against Sweden, plays defense for the Minnesota Wild. He was traded from the Vancouver Canucks earlier in the season, and is tied for fourth among NHL defensemen in points with Avalanche blueliner and Canadian Cale Makar. In addition, Matt Boldy and Brock Faber play for Minnesota.

Then there’s center Dylan Larkin, who plays center and is captain for the Detroit Red Wings. The Red Wings are entrenched in the most brutal divisional chase in the league, with the Atlantic Division having four teams within three points of each other. An Original Six team, the Wings have one of the most storied histories in the NHL, and are trying to break a nine-year playoff drought, the longest in team history.

Jack Hughes and Connor Hellebuyck play for the New Jersey Devils and Winnipeg Jets, respectively. Both are effectively out of the playoff picture, so if new fans are willing to wait, these could be teams to follow. Hughes plays with his brother, Luke, who is rehabbing a shoulder injury and is expected to return in early March. He is the youngest of the Hughes brothers.

Give me an underdog

The underdog to end all underdogs? The Buffalo Sabres are also entrenched in the bloodbath that is the Atlantic, and looking to snap a league-high 14-season playoff drought.

Led by USA forward Tage Thompson and captain Rasmus Dahlin, a star for Sweden, the Sabres were hockey’s hottest team in December heading into January, winning 10 consecutive games in December and 15 of 17 after the span. NFL fans will know Buffalo has some of sports’ most dedicated fans, and the Sabres reflect that. Plus, they semi-regularly don the goat’s head jerseys of the 1990s. Huge bonus.

Sandwiched between Detroit and Toronto are the Ottawa Senators. Canada’s capital has a team that is riding the line between playoff team and rebuild, with Brady Tkachuk at the forefront. The Senators have the worst goalie play in hockey by a wide margin, but with a solid defense and a year removed from a playoff berth, not to mention at least a fighting chance in the Atlantic, Ottawa is a fun team to get in on early.

Perhaps, however, you’d like to look to the West. The Seattle Kraken have made the playoffs just once in their first four years in the NHL, but are on the razor’s edge to do the same this year. They’re currently third in the Pacific, meaning if the season ended today, they’d be in. Matty Beniers and Jordan Eberle are the top scorers for the team, while backup goalie Philipp Grubauer just turned in a nice performance for Germany in Italy.

If there’s a bandwagon, I’ll take it

Normally the answer to this would be the Florida Panthers, but some bad injury luck has the back-to-back defending Stanley Cup champs at the bottom of the Atlantic. If you want instant bragging rights and Matthew Tkachuk, look no further than Miami, but it might not last long.

With that in mind, the Colorado Avalanche are the clearest answer. Though they sputtered a bit heading into the Olympic break, they still lead the Wild by five games in the West. Canadians Nathan MacKinnon and Cole Makar lead the way for Colorado, while their goalie tandem of Scott Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood, affectionately dubbed ‘The Woods,’ continue to turn in impressive seasons.

The Tampa Bay Lightning also belong here. They lead the Atlantic by six points with 78, although they’ve had their recent woes. After three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals appearances, they’ve been bounced in the first round of the playoffs for three years in a row. Coached by Team Canada coach Jon Cooper, their best two players are Russians Nikita Kucherov and Andrei Vasilevsky. The latter is one of the NHL’s best goalies, second in the league in saves above expected only to Ilya Sorokin. Kucherov is third in the NHL behind Connor McDavid and MacKinnon in points with 91 and has won the last two scoring titles.

The Dallas Stars bandwagon is another fun one, and it isn’t insufferable … yet. The Stars are trying to get over the conference finals hump and are third in the Central behind the Avalanche and Wild. While Mikko Rantanen is one of the top setup wings in the sport, it’s the non-Olympian fans may love: Jason Robertson, who was considered a somewhat egregious snub off Team USA. He leads the Stars in goals at 32, and has said himself: ‘Every one is for my cat.’

There are also the Vegas Golden Knights, who currently lead the Pacific. The addition of Mitch Marner has been a boon for Vegas, and the team has been relevant since its inception in 2017. Vegas, of course, went to the Stanley Cup Final in its inaugural season and then won it all in 2022-23. The Golden Knights have made hockey a performance as much as any team in the league, and it has translated to results on the ice.

Give me speed, give me youth

If you want youth, the Montreal Canadiens are the way to go. They’re the youngest team in hockey, and their top five point scorers are 26 or younger (three are 21 or younger). Similar to Robertson, Cole Caufield was a snub from Team USA, and is tied for the league-lead in overtime goals with the Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov at four. Nick Suzuki played well for Canada, notching a clutch game-tying goal against Czechia in the quarterfinals. The Canadiens (with an E) are mixed up with the Red Wings, Sabres and Bruins in the Atlantic.

Then there’s the San Jose Sharks, where wunderkind Macklin Celebrini is leaving his mark. The Sharks have work to do to slot into playoff position this year, as they’re five games out of a wild card spot, but it’s a far cry from where they were before drafting Celebrini in 2024. After going 20-50-12 in 2024-25, they’ve taken bounds this year, largely thanks to Celebrini. Now the Sharks are trying to build on the momentum of adding the face of their franchise.

Another team that’s part of the youth movement is the Chicago Blackhawks, led by Connor Bedard. They aren’t in the thick of things yet, but it’s a team with a lot of history that new fans would be buying low on. The Blackhawks look to be on the upswing, and with recent Stanley Cups in 2010, 2013, and 2015, they aren’t far removed from their most recent era of relevance (and dominance).

Show me the best player in hockey

It’s Connor McDavid.

While naysayers will cite the lack of a Cup or Canada getting silver in these Games, McDavid is at or near the top of nearly every conceivable metric. He leads the NHL in points at 96, goals at 34, expected goals at 32.5, he’s tied for the lead in assists with 62, second in primary assists with 36 and fourth in shots on goal per game. He also leads the league in high danger shots on goal, max skate speed, and he has 70 more bursts above 22 mph over No. 2 Owen Tippett with 106. If you want to watch the best player hockey has to offer, watch the Edmonton Oilers, who are looking for their third consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearance and are currently second in the Pacific.

I’ll stick out a rebuild

Not everyone needs to get in and win right away. There are a few teams who are either entering into or transitioning toward rebuilding.

The St. Louis Blues are poising themselves for a full on sale at the trade deadline, and while Jordan Binnington played some great goalie for Team Canada, he has been the worst goalie in hockey by a wide margin in goals saved above expected. They’re likely looking at a roster teardown as they try to get back to the playoffs.

The Vancouver Canucks are a team new fans might struggle with. Ownership has had difficulty accepting a rebuild is needed, but the trade of Quinn Hughes was a start. Vancouver has never had a No. 1 overall pick, and this might be the year. But while things look bleak now, Vancouver is one of the most fun fanbases in hockey when it’s winning. Even when it’s losing, the fans find ways to make the best of it, like chanting ‘we want the Cup’ ahead of a shutout win of the Anaheim Ducks despite clamoring for a rebuild.

Anyone shiny and new?

The Utah Mammoth aren’t a new team per se, they’re a relocated continuation of the Arizona Coyotes, but they’re currently in a wild card spot in the West. Goalie Karel Vejmelka has been extremely strong this year, while Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz have turned in 50-plus point years to this point. Their logo also evokes the Wasatch Mountains over the head of the animal mascot, a cool localized touch.

I want a team with history

For teams with history, among the Original Six teams not mentioned are the Bruins and the Maple Leafs, both of the Atlantic.

The Boston Bruins are a team that never really goes away. They had an eight-year playoff streak snapped last year, but this year are in the thick of the playoff hunt at 69 points, giving them a wild card spot for now. David Pastrnak has 71 points for the team lead, while Morgan Geekie and Team USA’s Charlie McAvoy are other key contributors.

Then, and this is a little awkward, there are the Toronto Maple Leafs. USA captain Auston Matthews is the Leafs captain, and is second on the team with 48 points while leading it with 26 goals. The Leafs are at 63 points, six points out of a wild card spot, and haven’t won a Stanley Cup since 1967. The Leafs have also suffered some … unique heartbreak in recent seasons. They have lost seven Game 7s since 2013, including two in the past two seasons. The 2025 collapse against the Panthers ultimately ran Mitch Marner out of town (among other reasons), and this year looks like it may well end in disappointment up north.

Finally, there the New York Rangers to round out the Original Six. The Rangers are trying to retool their roster, having already traded Artemi Panarin to the Kings and being on the cusp of moving Vincent Trocheck, another Team USA member. The Rangers made the conference finals in 2023-24, but have lacked an identity in the past two seasons. They’re hoping for a lottery pick this year, and easily could have gone into the rebuild category as well.

Obviously anyone can follow any team for any number of reasons, this is just a jumping off point. Come the NHL trade deadline on March 6 or the NHL entry draft June 26-27, things could end up looking very different. But as we enter the homestretch of the NHL season, these teams have something for everyone. So do the Blue Jackets and Flames, where Johnny Gaudreau — the player honored by Team USA after him and his brother Matthew were tragically killed by a suspected drunk driver in 2024 — played, the Capitals, led by the legendary Ovechkin, or the Penguins, led by the similarly legendary Sidney Crosby.

There’s also the Hurricanes, who have made seven straight playoffs and are cued up for their eighth, the Islanders, who boast arguably the best goalie in the league in Ilya Sorokin, and the Predators, another team in an unorthodox location that has found sporadic success (and Nick Saban has stock in, for Alabama fans). The Ducks and Kings scratch the West Coast itch and play completely disparate games despite being so close regionally, and the Flyers, well, the Flyers have Gritty, one of sports’ best mascots.

With the NHL entering its homestretch, all anyone has to do is turn it on and follow the rules. The Olympics provided a good blueprint of what to expect. An important caveat, however: It isn’t best on best every night. Not every game is going to bring the excitement of the Winter Olympics. But the Stanley Cup playoffs are as high-stress as any postseason in sports.

Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Tuesday there are ‘all the guarantees’ for the 2026 FIFA World Cup to be held in the country, after the capture and death of Mexico’s most-wanted cartel leader triggered roadblocks, arson and security clashes, notably in Jalisco state.

Asked if the top international soccer tournament, which is expected to draw crowds of fans from around the world to matches in Mexico City, Monterrey and Jalisco’s capital Guadalajara, would pose a risk to visitors, Sheinbaum said there was ‘no risk.’

Sheinbaum said the situation was normalizing after cartel members coordinated a series of violent attacks on Sunday in the aftermath of an operation to capture cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera, known as ‘El Mencho,’ which resulted in his death.

Several new roadblocks appeared overnight, Sheinbaum told a morning press conference, but said that security forces were working to restore security.

Sheinbaum has largely followed the political map of her predecessor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who prioritized alleviating poverty and other root causes of violence, adopting a slogan of ‘hugs not bullets.’ Asked whether the killing of Oseguera marked a break from that policy, Sheinbaum said this would never be the case.

‘The detention of a suspected criminal with an arrest warrant can generate this type of circumstance, but we are looking for peace, not war,’ she said.

The arrests of other top cartel figures in Sinaloa state have in recent years also triggered cartel retaliation, including shootouts and vehicles set on fire.

Mexico is set to host 13 of 104 World Cup matches. Four of these are set to be held in Guadalajara. It will also host some preliminary warm-up matches before the tournament opens on June 11.

The 2024 Cy Young Award winner and nine-time All-Star signed a one-year extension with the Braves that includes a club option for 2028, the team announced Feb. 24. Sale, who turns 37 next month, will make $27 million in 2027 and $30 million if the club picks up his option.

If so, that’d make it four years in Atlanta, which doesn’t totally reach his seven years as a White Sox or his six as a Red Sox, a period that included the 2018 World Series championship.

But it’s also far more than a veteran stopover on the way, potentially, to the Hall of Fame.

Sale edged Zack Wheeler for the 2024 NL Cy, when he led the circuit with 225 strikeouts and made 29 starts, the first time he stayed healthy enough to exceed 20 starts since 2019.

The injury bug bit again in 2025, when a rib cage fracture limited him to 20 starts, but Sale, at 6-6 one of the game’s most imposing mound presences, remained dominant. In his two years in Atlanta, Sale has struck out 11.6 batters per nine innings, exceeding his career mark of 11.1, and posted a 168 adjusted ERA, well above his 141 lifetime plateau.

Sale’s won 145 career games and has finished in the top six in Cy Young voting eight times.

Chris Sale contract detais

Sale has steadfastly avoided free agency throughout his career. He originally signed a five-year, $32.5 million extension as a pre-arbitration player with the White Sox in 2013; the deal included club options for 2018 and 2019. 

The White Sox traded him to the Red Sox before the 2018 season, and Sale signed a five-year, $145 million extension with Boston in March 2019, shortly before entering his final year under contract. 

After a trade to Atlanta and before his 2025 club option kicked in, he-reupped for two years with the Braves in January 2024, a $38 million guarantee that included the $18 million club option that he’ll play under in this upcoming season. 

The U.S. Olympic men’s hockey team carried their gold medal-winning celebration from Milan to Miami on Monday, Feb. 23, as they returned home from a whirlwind experience at the just-completed 2026 Winter Games.

With their plane rerouted because of the blizzard in the northeast, Team USA couldn’t help but stroll into the chic E11EVEN Miami nightclub to keep the party going.

The club rolled out the red carpet for a sold-out celebration while an estimated 2,000-plus people waited in a line that stretched around the block for a chance to join the festivities.

Wearing their Olympic gold medals and wearing Team USA attire, the hockey players led the patriotic revelers in singing the national anthem.

Team USA’s victory lap will continue, even as the National Hockey League concludes its Olympic break and resumes its regular season on Wednesday, Feb. 25.

The American squad is expected to be in attendance and recognized during President Trump’s State of the Union speech on Tuesday night.

Olympic hero Jack Hughes, who scored the game-winning goal in overtime of the gold medal game vs. Canada, seemed to confirm that he and his teammates will be in Washington for President Trump’s address.

‘We’re so proud to represent the U.S., and when you get the chance to go to White House and meet the president, we’re proud to be Americans and that’s so patriotic,’ Hughes told the Daily Mail.

‘No matter what your (political) views are, we’re super excited to go to the White House tomorrow and be a part of that.’

The U.S. women’s hockey team, which also won gold at the Milano Cortina Winter Games, was invited to attend the State of the Union address as well, but declined due to ‘previously scheduled academic and professional commitments.’

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti signed his third contract extension in two seasons, making him one of the highest-paid coaches in college football.
Cignetti led the Hoosiers to their first national title, first 10-win season, and first Big Ten championship in over 50 years.
In just two seasons, Cignetti has won 27 games, a feat that took previous Indiana coaches many more years to achieve.

As strange as this sounds, Curt Cignetti is getting hosed in this whole rags to riches deal at Indiana.

Holistically speaking, of course.

Because while college football is overflowing with the absurd from all points, because the dam has burst at so many pressure spots and sucked the oxygen from the room, the greatest story ever told in the sport’s history is just another passing headline.

Cignetti just signed his third contract extension in two seasons, this one pushing his annual income to the top of college football. Right there with Kirby and Dabo and Sark. 

Yet it barely moved the needle.

Nothing shocks about college football anymore. Not the 27-month party in Bloomington, and certainly not the aftermath.

Three years ago, Cignetti was coaching a provisional FBS team at James Madison and begging the NCAA to allow the Dukes to play in the postseason. Now his contract says he must be paid among the top three coaches in college football should Indiana reach the College Football Playoff semifinals. 

The Hoosiers did in 2025, and now he is — to the tune of $13.2 million annually through 2033. 

Yet another first for the coach and his Indiana program overshadowed by the structural abyss of the sport. A series of firsts so remarkable, it’s like a once-in-a-lifetime lottery that keeps paying off. 

Over and over and over. 

Buy Indiana championship books, prints

First 10-win season in school history, and the first College Football Playoff appearance in the school history.

First unbeaten and untied season in school history, and first national title in school history.

First Big Ten championship in more than half a century, first 16-0 season in college football history (sorry, Yale, that mishmash in 1894 doesn’t count).

Cignetti has won 27 of 29 games, and the two losses in 2024 were to national champion Ohio State and runner-up Notre Dame. He’s quickly pushing Georgia’s Kirby Smart for the most successful assistant from the Nick Saban coaching tree. 

Shoot, he may as well be pushing Saban at this point.

Smart walked into a program that was averaging nine wins a season in the best conference in college football, and won a national title in his sixth season. 

Cignetti walked into the losingest program in college football history, a team that had one Big Ten win the year before he arrived. He won it all in Year 2, and the program’s emergence has pushed the Big Ten past the SEC as the strongest conference in college football. 

Now that’s a first. 

Think about this: It took Tom Allen, the coach at IU before Cignetti, six seasons to win 27 games. Kevin Wilson had 26 wins total in six prior seasons.

Wait, it gets much better.

Bill Lynch had 19 wins in four seasons, Terry Hoeppner — who first made Indiana think seriously about football before his untimely death — had nine wins in two seasons. 

Gerry DiNardo and Cam Cameron combined to win 26 games in their eight seasons, and the great Bill Mallory — the father of modern Indiana football (for what it was worth) — won 31 games in his final six seasons. 

Starting to get a clearer picture of what Cignetti has accomplished?

The best part of this ridiculous metamorphosis? It’s only getting better. 

In two months, rent-a-quarterback Fernando Mendoza will be the No.1 overall pick in the NFL draft (another first), right around the time Indiana’s latest prize haul from the transfer portal finishes spring practice. 

The only hiccup to this devastating 18-wheeler trucking everything in its sights also underscores its greatest strength: high school recruiting. Indiana has recruited and signed 62 high school players since Cignetti arrived, and just this cycle landed its first nationally ranked player. 

Every other player — including star wide receiver Charlie Becker and linebacker Rolijah Hardy — was unranked nationally by the 247Sports composite.

This isn’t organic recruiting, it’s next-level development from both high schools and the transfer portal. It’s Indiana tripling down on a coach who does it his way, coloring so far outside the lines of every other successful coach in the history of the sport, there is no comparison. 

And that, everyone, is the biggest first of all.

Who exactly is Cignetti’s comparison? Who has come close to winning the way he has ― in this ever-changing era of college football?

Days before this ride began in December of 2023, Cignetti had come to realization he was staying at JMU. Had a good gig, and wasn’t going to make the mistake of jumping at the first Power conference job ― like a few of Saban assistants had done in the past.

Now look: He’s among the highest-paid coaches in the game, and has no peers. 

Holistically speaking, of course. 

Highest paid coaches in college football

Per USA TODAY coaches 2025 salary database.

Kirby Smart, Georgia: $13.28 million
Curt Cignetti, Indiana: $13.2 million*
Ryan Day, Ohio State: $12.58 million
Lincoln Riley, USC: $11.54 million
Dabo Swinney, Clemson: $11.45 million
Steve Sarkisian, Texas: $10.8 million

* denotes latest raise.

Darryn Peterson’s inconsistent availability has raised concerns about his potential as a No. 1 NBA Draft pick.
Coach Bill Self is focused on whether Kansas can find consistency for a deep NCAA Tournament run.
The Jayhawks have shown flashes of high-level play, including a victory against Houston.

The great debate within the larger basketball community hinges on Darryn Peterson’s durability and whether questions surrounding it will cost the ballyhooed Kansas freshman the No. 1 spot in the NBA draft.

How serious are the hamstring and cramping issues that have limited Peterson to playing in 17 of his team’s 28 games and just 465 of the 1,130 minutes his team has played?

Is he soft, is he disinterested, or is he really that impaired by injuries? Are these health issues that’ll clear up with a little time, or will the durability concerns follow him long-term into the pros?

Force yourself to look at this from a different vantage point, and perhaps you might even convince yourself Peterson is persistent for still playing and not shutting it down and proceeding directly to the NBA lottery.

Anyway, these are questions NBA evaluators must consider.

The bigger question atop Bill Self’s mind: Can his team — his team, with or without Peterson on the floor — develop the consistency necessary to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament?

On its good nights, No. 14 Kansas looks like a bruiser with enough balance and mettle to be a March Madness menace.

“Our ceiling is high,” Self said on ESPN, minutes after picking apart No. 4 Houston in a 69-56 victory, “but also we can play to any level.”

Bad Kansas, then good Kansas. Good Jayhawks show up against Houston

The past two games illustrated this team’s bipolarity. The Jayhawks were woeful in a blowout loss to Cincinnati, a team on the wrong side of the March Madness bubble. Two days later, Kansas routed a Houston squad with Final Four potential.

We should have known a bounce-back performance was coming. Couple of things you must know about Self: He doesn’t lose back-to-back home games. And he doesn’t lose at home on Big Monday. Period.

Big Monday serves as a good test of a squad’s durability, because it thrusts teams back into action two days after their previous game. In that way, it mimics the March Madness structure of playing twice in three days.

Houston had dead legs at Allen Fieldhouse. Two days after losing to Arizona, and one week after losing to Iowa State, the Cougars shot 32% against Kansas. That’s three straight losses for Houston against top-15 teams within the nation’s most rugged conference.

“We just ran out of steam,” Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said.

Contrast Houston’s fatigued performance to that of Kansas, which kept playing better the longer the game went.

Afterward, Self kept looking at the box score printout during a postgame interview with Scott Van Pelt.

He couldn’t have cared less that Flory Bidunga only scored four points, because Kansas’ big man made life miserable for Houston at the other end of the court.

“Totally dominant,” Self said of Bidunga.

Self noticed, too, that Tre White shook of his shooting slump to pour in a season-high 23 points.

“He was great tonight,” Self said.

And although he made no mention of it, it couldn’t have been lost on Self that Peterson played 30 minutes. Didn’t play great, but he made some significant buckets. Neither the best nor the worst player on the court, but a guy on the court all the same for most of the game, long enough to score 14 points.

Darryn Peterson quiets hot takes for one night, anyway

At no point during this game could you have rationally believed Kansas would be better off parting with Peterson, as some have recently suggested.

Everyone’s got a hot take on Peterson, and that includes the personalities who wield the largest megaphones.

“I can’t trust him,” ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said recently.

That counts as a mild opinion.

Now, for the spicy:

“Sometimes a divorce is good for everyone involved,” Dick Vitale wrote on social media after the Cincinnati loss, and “I firmly believe that needs to happen NOW (at Kansas). The Darryn Peterson soap opera needs to end.”

Well, that’s a take.

Here’s an alternative one: Kansas cannot count on Peterson to be the driving force behind a Final Four run. He’s talented, but unreliable. The Jayhawks likely need him to be on the court, contributing, to advance to the tournament’s final weekend, but they’ll also need elite defense from Bidunga and big performances from White and Melvin Council Jr., like the Jayhawks got against Houston.

At times throughout this season, Self has sounded understandably frustrated at Peterson’s sporadic availability.

“There is one way (for Peterson) to change the narrative. Play. Finish,” the veteran Kansas coach said earlier this season.

Now, Self acknowledges Kansas playing so many minutes without the future NBA lottery pick has “forced our other guys to grow up.”

Those are the type of compliments that follow an impressive victory. Just two days earlier, Self called his team soft — not just Peterson, but the whole dang team.

From soft, to resolute, in two days’ time.

Kansas has now beaten Arizona, Iowa State and Houston. Those are caliber of opponents a team must be able to handle to reach April.

And still, even Self doesn’t sound like he knows what to expect from his team from one game to the next or whether Peterson will be on the court from one minute to the next.

“I have a decent feel of who we need to be,” Self said. “Do I know who we are? No. But, I still think we’ve got time to figure it out.”

Blake Toppmeyer is a columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.