Indiana football loses key staff member after winning national title
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MIAMI — The realities of the chaotic college football calendar collided with Indiana football's championship celebration before it got under way.
According to multiple reports, the Hoosiers director of athletic performance Derek Owings is headed to Tennessee in a similar role on the heels of the team's 27-21 win over Miami.
Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti has long credited Owings for his role in shaping the team's championship roster. He's held the same role on Cignetti's staff since the 2020 season at James Madison.
“Derek Owings is a guy I’ve got a lot of confidence in,” Cignetti said in February 2024. “Strength and conditioning has really changed through the years. It's become a very scientific thing. I think he's on the cutting edge, gets great results. I have 100% confidence in him. I don't mess with him. That's his area. I let him go.”
Cignetti told reporters leading up the national title game that the rest of the staff would get new contracts after both his coordinators landed fresh deals. Indiana twice gave Owings a raise amidst the program's success last season — the second of those came after interest from USC surfaced — and his salary for 2025 was $925,000.
That salary ranked third nationally behind, according to the USA Today Coaches Salary Database.
Cignetti was set to address the media at 9 a.m. Tuesday from Miami in a winner's press conference.
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Indiana football strength coach Derek Owings exiting staff after CFP title: Reports
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