How much Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti makes
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
ATLANTA — Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti will go into the 2026 season as one of the top three highest-paid coaches in the country thanks to the program’s appearance in Friday night’s College Football Playoff semifinals.
The No. 1 Hoosiers (14-0) have twice reworked Cignetti’s contract in the wake of the team’s unprecedented success and a clause in the most recent extension that runs through 2033 will trigger a good faith review of his deal.
Here’s what to know about Cignetti’s contract:
Indiana football will make Curt Cignetti one of highest paid coaches after the CFP
After the CFP, Cignetti’s agents will huddle with IU administrators to rework the deal he signed in October. There was a clause in his most recent agreement that called for a “good faith market review” if the Hoosiers reached the semifinals.
His contract would be waived if the school didn’t offer him a new deal that made his “annual compensation no less than third amongst active head coaches.”
The $93 million fully-guaranteed deal Cignetti signed in October had an average annual compensation of $11.6 million. There were only nine coaches in the country in 2025 making more than $10 million a year in 2025, according to USA Today’s coaching salary database.
Indiana football has already locked in Cignetti’s coordinators for next season
Cignetti won’t go it alone in 2026 with IU locking up defensive coordinator Bryant Haines and offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan to new three-year deals.
Their extensions make the assistants among the highest paid coordinators in the country. Haines will be the program’s first assistant to make $3 million a year.
Cignetti has long credited the pair with helping IU reach new heights. He also stressed the importance of the staff’s continuity — former quarterbacks coach Tino Sunseri is the only assistant Cignetti has had to replace from his initial staff.
Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti has almost maxed out his bonuses for 2025
Cignetti’s maximum bonus payout is $3.3 million in one season, and he’s already in line to receive $2 million of that.
He has earned bonuses for winning six conference games ($150,000), the Big Ten title ($1 million), Big Ten Coach of the Year ($50,000), winning a major national coach of the year award ($100,000) and reaching the playoff semifinals ($700,000).
Cignetti can up that last amount to $2 million if the Hoosiers were to win a national title.
Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti’s all-time record
Cignetti’s all-time record as a head coach is 144-37 going into the Peach Bowl. He’s 44-6 at the FBS level and 25-2 at Indiana. He’s never had a losing season in 15 years leading a program. He’s also set program records for most overall wins and league wins in a two-year stretch at Indiana.
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: Breaking down Curt Cignetti’s pay at Indiana
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos