Indiana coach Curt Cignetti joins rare club with notable salary bump after winning national title

Curt Cignetti isn’t leaving Indiana anytime soon.

The national championship-winning coach agreed Friday to a new deal with Indiana that upped his annual salary from $11.6 million to $13.2 million through 2033, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported.

Friday’s decision comes after the Hoosiers announced Cignetti would be getting a $92.8 million extension in October that included a “good faith market review” clause that activated if Indiana reached the College Football Playoff semifinal.

Indiana’s Curt Cignetii has a 27-2 record in two seasons at Indiana, tripling the Hoosiers’ win output in the previous three seasons combined. Getty Images

The clause required both sides to meet within 120 days of the semifinal game to discuss Cignetti’s salary and boost it to be no less than the third-highest-paid coach in the country.

With his new deal, Cignetti ranks beside Georgia’s Kirby Smart and LSU’s Lane Kiffin as the only college coaches making at least $13 million.

The October agreement also raised Cignetti’s buyout if he leaves for another job to $15 million. If fired, Indiana must pay him his remaining salary. 

“We’re all-in, and going to continue to invest and make certain that we’ve got our priorities in line,” Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson told ESPN in October.

“[Cignetti is] Priority 1, and then it’s retaining our staff, and it’s having the resources to build a roster.”

Indiana is certainly trying to do everything it can to lock up Cignetti for as long as possible. And for good reason.

Curt Cignetti came to Indiana from James Madison and won a national title in just his second season. Grace Hollars-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

Cignetti turned a program that was in the dumps — winning nine combined games in the three seasons before he arrived in 2024 — into the best team in the country.

After taking the Hoosiers to the CFP in 2024, he helped deliver their first-ever national title this past season. Indiana went a perfect 16-0, won its first Big Ten title since 1945 and featured Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza.

In October, the 64-year-old Cignetti said he plans on retiring with the team.

“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.”

With Cignetti and his current leverage in the transfer portal, Indiana will likely be a championship contender for years to come. It seems like it’ll be a while before his era ends in Bloomington.