Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti gets huge new contract

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana and football coach Curt Cignetti have agreed to a new contract that will make him the highest paid employee in university history.

Cignetti will receive both significantly improved financial terms and also further assurances around program infrastructure and support. Those assurances likely include commitments in the form of things like staffing and assistant-coaching salary pools.

IU is also in the planning and financing stages of a substantial Memorial Stadium renovation, one Cignetti can now help shape.

“I am beyond appreciative for the tremendous commitment, confidence and support from (IU) President Pam Whitten and Athletics Director Scott Dolson,” Cignetti said in a news release confirming his fresh terms. “Manette and I love Bloomington and are grateful for how the IU community has embraced us. I look forward to leading this outstanding program, and doing my part to continue the momentum for Hoosier football.”

Cignetti’s new deal will extend his stay in Bloomington beyond the original terms agreed upon his departure from James Madison last winter. That contract ran through 2029, and guaranteed Cignetti $4.5 million in annual compensation, with that number climbing via raises built in across the life of the deal.

Officially, Cignetti will sign a new contract lasting eight years and worth an average annual compensation of $8 million. He will also receive an annual $1 million retention bonus. A breakdown of Cignetti’s year-by-year compensation was not immediately available.

The contract will run through Nov. 30, 2032. IndyStar understands Cignetti is still in line to receive the bonuses earned from this season’s performance, add-ons which already total $600,000 and could improve further.

“After first meeting coach Cignetti,” IU Athletic Director Scott Dolson said in a statement released Saturday, “we were very confident that he was a perfect fit for what we were trying to build with our football program. We were confident IU could become a winning program, and we love what he’s building here.”

Cignetti’s first year in Bloomington has been a whirlwind, the Hoosiers already setting program records for most wins (10) and best start (10-0) in a single campaign. They are in the catbird seat for a spot in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff, ranked No. 5 in last week’s poll, and they will remain in the Big Ten title hunt with an upset win at Ohio State next Saturday.

The leading candidate for both Big Ten and national coach-of-the-year honors, Cignetti has been central to that turnaround. Bringing a substantial portion of his staff, as well as several players, with him from James Madison, Cignetti immediately turned a flagging Indiana program into one of the most two-way dominant teams in the country.

Becoming more consistently competitive in football has been a priority for both Dolson and Whitten since they assumed their respective positions in 2020 and 2021. Retaining a coach already enjoying measures of success never before seen at Indiana signals their intent to keep pushing the bar upward.

“Since arriving on campus, coach Cignetti has been the architect of one of college football’s greatest turnarounds, and has shown the world that IU is also a football school,” Whitten said in the release. “Coach Cignetti exemplifies IU’s goal to win in all that we do. The success he has brought to Indiana football is shining a light on all that is amazing about Indiana University. We are excited that coach Cignetti and his wonderful family will be a part of Hoosier Nation for many years to come."

How much is Curt Cignetti's new contract?

Cignetti's new eight-year contract is worth an average annual compensation of $8 million. He will also receive an annual $1 million retention bonus. A breakdown of Cignetti’s year-by-year compensation was not immediately available.

The contract will run through Nov. 30, 2032. IndyStar understands Cignetti is still in line to receive the bonuses earned from this season’s performance, add-ons which already total $600,000 and could improve further.

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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti gets huge new contract