Cignetti gets new 8-year, $93M deal at Indiana
Paul Finebaum questions Indiana's decision to make Curt Cignetti one of college football's highest-paid coaches. (1:37)
Indiana has reached a new eight-year contract with Curt Cignetti, which will make him one of the highest-paid football coaches in the FBS with an annual average salary of about $11.6 million, the university announced Thursday.
Cignetti guided the Hoosiers to a 10-2 record and a surprising College Football Playoff appearance in his first season at the school in 2024. This season, the No. 3 Hoosiers are 6-0 heading into Saturday's game against Michigan State.
In a video posted to Indiana's social media accounts, Cignetti said, "I couldn't be more proud to be a Hoosier, and I plan on retiring as a Hoosier. The way that this state has embraced us and our success in football has meant more to me than anything else."
Hoosiers athletic director Scott Dolson says Cignetti's new deal shows the school is "all-in."
"We didn't come this far to only come this far," Dolson told ESPN. "We're all-in, and going to continue to invest and make certain that we've got our priorities in line. He's Priority 1, and then it's retaining our staff, and it's having the resources to build a roster."
Cignetti, 64, was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year and National Coach of the Year by several organizations in 2024. The Hoosiers are 17-2 under Cignetti, including an 11-1 record against Big Ten opponents.
On Oct. 11, the Hoosiers stunned then-No. 3 Oregon 30-20 on the road. It was Indiana's first victory against a top-five opponent since upsetting then-No. 3 Purdue 19-14 in 1967.
In Bloomington to stay. βοΈ
The new deal with Cignetti goes through the 2033 regular season.
"At Indiana University, we are committed to performing at the highest levels in everything we do, and no one has exemplified that more than Coach Cignetti," Indiana University president Pamela Whitten said in a statement. "Put simply, Cig is a winner. From last year's College Football Playoff appearance to this year's top-three national ranking, the IU football program's success has been tremendous."
Cignetti, who previously coached at James Madison, Elon and Indiana University of Pennsylvania, was expected to be one of the hottest commodities on the market before signing an extension with the Hoosiers.
Under his previous deal, Cignetti's buyout was set to drop to $10 million on Dec. 1, a number that now climbs to $15 million under the new contract as Indiana looks to eliminate any distractions moving forward in pursuit of their second-consecutive College Football Playoff bid.
"He loves football and he loves his family, and that's his whole life," Dolson added. "So having his family in a place that they're comfortable, if you set aside just the normal football support, but being in an environment that they enjoy, and it's super important, and I feel really good about that."
Utilizing the transfer portal, Cignetti has transformed the once-woebegone Hoosiers into a Big Ten title contender. Indiana had never won 10 games in a season before his arrival in the 127-year history of the program. The Hoosiers hadn't had a winning record since going 6-2 in the 2020 season, which was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Hoosiers went 9-27 in three seasons under Tom Allen before Cignetti's hiring.
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