Indiana’s Roster Sparking Debate in College Football

The Hoosiers celebrate after a football game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. (Photo: Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times)

On Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, the Indiana Hoosiers defeated the University of Miami Hurricanes by a score of 27-21 in the college football National Championship. The 27-21 victory was one of the closest scores all season for the Hoosiers, including the playoffs, where they dominated the University of Alabama Crimson Tide and the University of Oregon Ducks, both of whom are college football powerhouses.

It was revealed that Indiana’s average roster age is 23.4 years, with most players in their 6th or 7th year, prompting fans and analysts to wonder whether those extra years of experience create an unfair advantage.

Indiana’s roster, being as experienced as it was this past season, was due to many factors. The hiring of former James Madison University coach Curt Cignetti led to a plethora of players transferring to Indiana. They also had players with remaining eligibility from COVID, redshirt years, injuries, and junior college (JUCO) players.

With these factors, players have five to six years of experience against other teams, including freshmen and sophomores. According to the National Library of Medicine, “…explosiveness, speed, and endurance tend to peak in the mid-20s (~24–26) among athletes.”

This statistic shows the physical advantage that a team of 23-year-olds would have over teenagers/college-age players. Additionally, a 23-year-old has been in a college football lifting and workout program for multiple years, making them much stronger and better able to recover between games and workouts than younger players.

On top of additional experience being an advantage, an older roster frustrates younger players who have been waiting for their shot to get on the field.

Monmouth University Running Back Makhi Green speaks to this.

“There are people that have been waiting for their chance to get on the field, so it’s just kind of selfish,” Green said. “I’ve experienced it personally, being behind 6th-year and 7th-year/24-year-olds and 25-year-olds just waiting for my turn,” he said.

Not only does an older roster affect the level of play, but also how their teammates feel and the opportunities for younger players.

Analysts have been saying that some players in college football are not even college age. This is unfair to the college-aged players who are not getting on the field. There is an experience advantage for the older guys, too.

“When you’ve got a lot of guys who’ve played a lot of games, you’re going to see fewer mistakes,” said former Oklahoma State and current UFL quarterback Alan Bowman.

Once the COVID eligibility years expire, it remains to be seen whether that will resolve the issue of players getting 6th and 7th years of college football.