Coach Curt Cignetti brought a national championship to Indiana football, and he’s being paid handsomely for it.
The second-year Hoosiers coach received a new contract on Friday, Feb. 20, according to the IndyStar, part of the USA TODAY Network. It’s his third contract revision at Indiana, and will pay him an average of $13.2 million per season, among the highest in college sports.
Indiana and Cignetti capped off a perfect 16-0 season with their national championship win over Miami in January, which came two seasons after the Hoosiers went 3-9 in Tom Allen’s last season as head coach. The program entered the 2025-26 season with three bowl wins ever, yet won three CFP games en route to a title.
It’s clear Indiana is continuing to invest in its skyrocketing football program, and it doesn’t seem like they’re leaving anywhere soon.
Here’s everything to know of Cignetti’s new contract:
Curt Cignetti contract
Cignetti’s new contract will pay him an average annual salary of $13.2 million through 2033. His previous contract was also through 2033, but was for $11.6 million per season.
The contract makes him among the highest-paid coach in college sports, next to LSU’s Lane Kiffin and Georgia’s Kirby Smart, who are also making $13 million or more per season on average. Kiffin signed a seven-year, $91 million deal with LSU after leaving Ole Miss and Smart is on a 13-year, $130 million contract.
Cignetti’s contract he signed in October featured a clause that called for a ‘good faith market review’ of his deal within 120 days of Indiana reaching the CFP semifinals, should it ever reach it. The contract is also designed to keep him within the top three of highest-paid coaches in college football.
