The Indiana football team’s rise to a national power has paid off for head coach Curt Cignetti.
The university announced Thursday it agreed to a new eight-year contract with Cignetti that will pay him an annual base salary of approximately $11.6 million.
According to the USA Today database of coaching salaries, it would make him the third-highest paid college football coach in the nation, behind Georgia’s Kirby Smart and Ohio State’s Ryan Day.
The new deal, Cignetti’s second in two seasons, runs through Nov. 30, 2033.
“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.
Cignetti took over a team that went 3-9 in 2023 and led the Hoosiers to an 11-2 record last season and its first appearance in the College Football Playoffs. He was named the Big Ten and national Coach of the Year.
This season, Indiana is off to a 6-0 start and ranked No. 3 in the nation – its highest ranking ever. Media speculation suggested Cignetti would be a target for high-profile programs such as Penn State, which just fired its coach.
“We are committed to investing in IU Football in such a way that we can compete at a championship level, and the No. 1 priority in doing that is ensuring that Coach Cignetti is the leader of our program,” IU Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Scott Dolson said in a statement. “His accomplishments during the last season and a half have been nothing short of remarkable.”
Last November, Cignetti signed an eight-year extension worth $8 million a season.
The Hoosiers host Michigan State Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at Memorial Stadium.
