Curt Cignetti built Indiana by using the portal heavily yes but more specifically he used the portal to bring in older, seasoned and very experienced players. Cignetti didn't have a foundation of 4 and 5 star athletes/prospects to build on so he went out and filled his rooster with experienced 4th 5th and even some 6th year players. They didn't have to be superstars. He wanted solid football players who were seasoned and mature with high football IQs. If you look at his model, it really is quite ingenious but there's more to it. Cignetti is an excellent football coach and he surrounded himself with an elite staff OC Mike Shanahan and DC Bryant Haines are among the very best coordinators in the nation.
I think what some of our fans object to is the idea of building a football team almost exclusively through the portal. I don't think they have a problem with using the portal. They just don't want to take 30 plus kids from the portal every year at the expense of high school recruiting. That's my humble opinion on the subject.