2025 saw Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti firmly establish himself as the best coach in college football. His success has many wondering if he might leave Indiana and give the NFL a try next.
But after today, it's clear that won't be happening.
According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, Cignetti has agreed to a new contract that increases his salary to a whopping $13.2 million per year. The deal runs through 2033, by which time Cignetti will be in his early-70s.
"Per an ESPN source, Curt Cignetti has agreed to a new deal at Indiana that pushes his annual salary up to $13.2 million. The deal will go through 2033. Hoosiers have been the ultimate aggressors in keeping Cignetti," Thamel wrote.
A Deal Done Well
Curt Cignetti has only been the head coach at Indiana for two years and already owns just about every meaningful record in school history other than career wins. The two bowl games he won matched the bowl win total for the entire history of the school.
Cignetti's 93.1-percent win rate not only has him well ahead of all of his predecessors, it ranks among the best in history for a coach's first two seasons at a college football program.
2025 saw Cignetti deliver Indiana its first win over Ohio State in generations, its first Big Ten title since the 1960s, its first Heisman Trophy winner (Fernando Mendoza), its first-ever Rose Bowl win, its first win over almighty Alabama and - more important than anything - its first ever national championship.
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Cignetti has not only turned Indiana into a force to be reckoned with, he's given hope to every college football program that has ever felt like a perpetual loser. He showed in just two years that with the right coaches and the right personnel (and maybe a bit of NIL cash), any program can contend with the mega-powers of college football.
Cignetti could retire tomorrow and go down as one of the all-time greats.
And all-time greats deserve all-time compensation.