In the modern era of college football, two distinct philosophies are clashing for supremacy: the veteran-laden, win-now approach, and the long-term bet on homegrown youth. For Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer and Indiana’s Curt Cignetti, their rosters represent both sides of that coin. However, the Alabama legend who returned to campus views it differently.

“When you’re young, you almost play with this juvenile freedom,” Greg McElroy said on Mac & Cube on February 6. “The younger you are, the more free you sometimes play. Does that occasionally lead to mistakes? Sure. But there’s also something good about having a really young team with something to prove. I’m super optimistic about this group.”

As a quarterback who won a national title for the Tide at just 21, McElroy argues from experience that youth isn’t a liability, but a potential weapon. McElroy’s belief in youthful freedom is a philosophy DeBoer seems to be embracing, choosing to build from within rather than panic-buying experience in the transfer portal.

DeBoer’s confidence in youth is backed by a stellar recruiting class, ranked No. 2 nationally by 247Sports, which gives him the firepower to bet on development over quick portal fixes. The group features multiple elite players, including RB EJ Crowell and WR Cederian Morgan, who could earn starting roles. Maybe this is why Kalen DeBoer wasn’t aggressive in the portal, even though they lost veterans like Deontae Lawson, Kadyn Proctor, and Ty Simpson. 

Speaking in Mobile ahead of the Senior Bowl, Kalen DeBoer acknowledged the roster data showing how young Alabama was last season and how it got battered late in the year. 

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“The study was sent to me, but it showed how young we were as a football team,” he admitted. “Probably led to some of the inconsistencies we had at times, especially at the end of the year when you’re facing the most mature teams and the best teams in the country, but it is what it is.”

Alabama won’t easily forget the 38-3 loss to Curt Cignetti’s veteran team in the Rose Bowl. But instead of chasing older bodies in the portal, Kalen DeBoer is trying to make youth part of the Tide’s identity. 

“That’s something we got to use as an edge and try to make kind of our thing,” he said, trying to maintain the standard when WR Ryan Williams became a starter at 17. 

He also pointed to players like Lotzeir Brooks, Dijon Lee, Michael Carroll, and London Simmons. All these true freshmen from last year are now expected to take major steps forward. Still, the comparison between youth and experience remains. 

Curt Cignetti builds with veteran players

When Curt Cignetti took over Indiana, he inherited a 3-9 team and flipped the roster immediately. The Hoosiers went 11-2 in his first season, with the HC making the most of the transfer portal. The result was a roster filled with juniors and seniors ready to win immediately. Curt Cignetti has been transparent about the strategy. 

“It still takes those guys a little while to develop so they can play winning football,” he told The Triple Option. “I don’t care, you know, a 24-year-old’s gonna play better than an 18-year-old. So I don’t think you’re ever going to see the day where you’re not dabbling in the portal.”

While Curt Cignetti is working to improve Indiana’s high school recruiting, his strategy for immediate success still leans heavily on the transfer portal, as evidenced by the 32 players he brought in during his first year. But Curt Cignetti admits the Hoosiers will still lean on the portal for proven veterans. After all, it worked and earned them a national championship. 

Meanwhile, Kalen DeBoer is neither ignoring the portal nor building around it. The foundation is high school recruiting, accelerated development, and the belief that elite talent can grow faster within the program. Greg McElroy’s optimism fits that vision perfectly. Can Alabama live it up in 2026?