Indiana, Curt Cignetti reportedly agree to massive contract extension
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When the going gets good, the tough get going. Curt Cignetti has lived that mantra since setting foot in Bloomington back on Nov. 30, 2023, and his approach has paid massive dividends for Indiana’s football program. Now, the Hoosiers are ponying up the dough to try and stay on top of the sport.
On Friday, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that Indiana and Cignetti have agreed to another contract extension, the third in Cignetti’s roughly 2-year tenure with the Hoosiers. The 2025 College Football Playoff-winning coach will make a whopping $13.2 million salary on his new pact, which runs through 2033.
Per Nick Bromberg of Yahoo! Sports, Cignetti now joins Kirby Smart and Lane Kiffin as the only college football coaches making $13 million or more in salary.
Cignetti inked his second extension with Indiana in Oct. 2025, when rumors of Penn State and other blue blood-type programs trying to poach him began swirling. According to Bromberg, that extension — an 8-year, $93 million deal — had a provision that opened another negotiation window if the Hoosiers reached the CFP semifinals. Indiana did more than that, winning the CFP National Championship to earn the school its first title.
Cignetti’s first opportunity to defend his title and add to his impressive 27-2 record with the Hoosiers comes versus North Texas on Saturday, Sept. 5.
And though Indiana will have to replace its Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, no one expects the Hoosiers to go anywhere in his third season. At Kalshi, IU is viewed as the program with the best chance to qualify for the CFP next season.
