Indiana coach Curt Cignetti is cashing in on his first trip to the national championship — even more than initially expected.
Athletic department officials announced Monday that the two-time national coach of the year has signed an eight-year extension of the memorandum of understanding that will pay him an average of $13.2 million per year, an increase of about $1.6 million per year from what school officials said Signetti was making when he first agreed to the extension in October.
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School officials released the document Signetti signed on Feb. 4.
He joins Georgia coach Kirby Smart and LSU coach Lane Kiffin as the only active Bowl Subdivision coaches with an annual salary of more than $13 million. The bonus could be even higher if Signetti receives bonuses for winning Big Ten or National Coach of the Year honors in addition to postseason appearances and conference titles. Signetti, 64, has said he wants to retire in Indiana.
The new agreement calls for a base salary of $500,000 per year through the 2033 season and a $1 million retention bonus on November 30 of each year starting this fall. The remainder of $105.6 million will be collected from external, promotional and marketing revenues.
Signetti initially agreed to an eight-year extension worth $92.8 million (an average of $11.6 million per year), but university officials agreed to modify the deal as the Hoosiers remain undefeated and pursue the first football national championship in school history.
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This is the third raise Cignetti has received since taking over the worst-failed program in FBS history in November 2024. All he’s done since taking over is produce two of the best seasons in school history while becoming one of the favorites among college football fans with his quips and unique facial expressions. The players embraced him, too, telling many of their favorite Cignetti stories.
Just ask tight end Riley Nowakowski, who recently told his favorite Signetti story at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
“I think (Alberto Mendoza) was in the game, he scored four points in a row,” Nowakovsky said, referring to last season’s win over Illinois. “He kept pulling, and pulling, and pulling, and after the fourth time, it was a bad read. So in the middle of the game, (Signetti) told our coach, ‘Get (Alberto) over here.'” Burt said, “What, it’s halfway through the game, what are you doing?” (Signetti) said, ‘We’re not paying you to run the ball and pass the ball, right? We were up about 70 points, but he got mad and yelled at Burt, and (Signetti) just turned to me and smiled and he just said, ‘Do you like this now? ‘”
After leading James Madison’s most successful transition from the Football Championship Subdivision to the FBS, Cignetti immediately delivered on his promise of winning.
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The son of Hall of Fame coach Frank Cignetti and a former Alabama assistant led Indiana to a school-record 11 wins and its first College Football Playoff appearance in his first season with the Hoosiers.
Last season, he surpassed that record, posting the first 16-0 mark in major college football since the 1890s. The Indians also won their first Big Ten title since 1945, beating Miami at home for the national title and shaking off the label as the losers in FBS history.
Mendoza’s older brother, Fernando, also became the first Indiana player to win the Heisman Trophy and is expected to be the No. 1 pick in April’s NFL draft.
The payoff: A record nine players, including Mendoza and Nowakovsky, participated in the recent combine in Indianapolis, while Signetti received another raise and school officials continue to invest heavily in keeping the coaching staff together.
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In December, offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan and defensive coordinator Bryant Hines each agreed to three-year extensions worth about $3 million per year, making them the two highest-paid assistants in the FBS. Haynes won this year’s Broyles Award, given to the nation’s top assistant coach.
Indiana will start next season with the longest winning streak in the FBS (16 games) and the longest home winning streak (15 games). Cignetti, who has never lost a home game against the Hoosiers, sets the stage for its league and national title defense on Sept. 5 at home against North Texas.
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