In the midst of a second outstanding season in as many years, Indiana coach Curt Cignetti earned himself a raise. Cignetti and the Hoosiers agreed to terms on a contract extension that bumps his average annual pay by $3.6 million and adds another year onto his deal, Indiana announced. It is an eight-year contract with an annual $11.6 million salary that runs through the end of the 2033 regular season.
The timing of Cignetti’s extension is particularly notable because of his potential candidacy for the Penn State job. When the Nittany Lions last weekend fired James Franklin, Cignetti’s name immediately popped up on hot boards because of his rising stardom and ties to the region. His new contract seemingly indicates that Penn State will have to look elsewhere for its next coach.
“My wife Manette and I love Indiana University, Bloomington, the state of Indiana and the people that we’ve met,” Cignetti said in a video. “We have very strong feelings about President Whitten and Scott Dolson. We’ve accomplished a lot here in a short amount of time but still have a lot of work to do. I couldn’t be more proud to be a Hoosier, and I plan on retiring as a Hoosier. The way that this state has embraced us and our success in football has meant more to me than anything else. I just wanted to get on camera and let you know that Curt Cignetti is going to work daily to make Indiana the best it can be.”
This is Cignetti’s second contract extension in less than a calendar year. He inked an eight-year, $64 million deal in the final weeks of his debut season with the Hoosiers, during which he led the program to its first double-digit win total and a berth in the College Football Playoff.
“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. “Put simply, Cig is a winner. From last year’s College Football Playoff appearance to this year’s top-3 national ranking, the IU Football program’s success has been tremendous. Curt and Manette Cignetti are home in Indiana and we are delighted that the Cignetti family will be Hoosiers for many years to come.”
Indiana is off to an unbeaten start to Cignetti’s second year. The Hoosiers secured the biggest victory of his tenure last week and, perhaps, the most impressive win by any team this season — a 30-20 triumph at No. 3 Oregon. The victory sent Indiana further up the AP Top 25 rankings and into the No. 3 spot the Ducks held before the Week 7 clash. The Hoosiers also picked up three first-place votes.
“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,” athletic director Scott Dolson said. “His accomplishments during the last season and a half have been nothing short of remarkable. As much as anyone, he believed in what was possible with our program, and he’s turned that belief into reality. This is a great day for IU Football and Indiana University. I look forward to working alongside Coach Cignetti for many years to come.”
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