Wow, Cignetti's restructed new contract...
After leading Indiana to the national title, coach Curt Cignetti has finalized a contract with the school that will pay him an average of $13.2 million through the 2033 season, a source confirmed to ESPN.
The length of Cignetti's deal does not change, but his salary will increase from $11.6 million annually.
Indiana announced a new deal for Cignetti in October, but it included a "good market faith review" that activated if the Hoosiers reached the College Football Playoff semifinal, which they after a Jan. 1 win over Alabama in the Rose Bowl. The review required the sides to meet within 120 days after the CFP semifinal and adjust Cignetti's salary to rank no less than third among active head coaches, according to the term sheet.
The $13.2 million annual salary places Cignetti alongside Georgia's Kirby Smart and new LSU coach Lane Kiffin as the only coaches earning at least $13 million nationally. Cignetti's contract has been revised three times in two seasons, as he arrived in late 2023 with a six-year, $27 million deal.
Cignetti is 27-2 at Indiana, which won its first national title in 2025 and its first outright Big Ten title since 1945.
After Indiana announced his new contract in October, Cignetti, 64, said he planned on retiring at the school.
"I couldn't be more proud to be a Hoosier," Cignetti said. "The way that this state has embraced us and our success in football has meant more to me than anything else."
The agreement announced in October raised Cignetti's buyout to $15 million if he left for another job and would pay him his full remaining salary if fired without cause. Indiana also has awarded new multiyear contracts to coordinators Mike Shanahan (offense) and Bryant Haines (defense), who last week won the Broyles Award as the nation's top assistant.
"We're all-in, and going to continue to invest and make certain that we've got our priorities in line," athletic director Scott Dolson told ESPN in October. " Priority 1, and then it's retaining our staff, and it's having the resources to build a roster."
The Indianapolis Star first reported terms of Cignetti's latest contract.
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
Greylock wrote:
Take away Mark Cuban's ability to pay players and where is Indiana football? I think they are right where they always have been near the bottom of the BIG conference.
Every school is paying players. I dont like Cuban but hes hardly the reason they kicked ass.
Why isn't Chuck Foreman in the Hall of Fame?
JimmyinSD wrote:
Every school is paying players. I dont like Cuban but hes hardly the reason they kicked ass.
Cuban is as big if not bigger than Cignetti in why Indiana is now a power. He won’t even tell how much he’s contributing and that’s quite telling. Indiana has raked up in the portal Big money wins at the end of the day.
https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2026/01/18/mark-cuban-indiana-football-donor-how-to-build-successful-teams.html
A brilliant pivot by Hoosiers and it'll go down in the history books...Can't blame them for playing very well in the new NCAA universe.
I really enjoyed the historical big knockers getting punched in the mouth by these guys. The list is jaw dropping.
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
Greylock wrote:
Take away Mark Cuban's ability to pay players and where is Indiana football? I think they are right where they always have been near the bottom of the BIG conference.
College football is business, if the money is there it is going to be used to get the job done
You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it. — Robin Williams
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