Curt Cignetti's Headset Sells For Insane Price, Boosts Indiana's NIL Funding

Cignetti's game-worn headset from the national championship sold Sunday through an auction on Bison Drop, which funds Indiana athletics name, image and likeness deals.

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti during the College Football Playoff National Championship at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Indiana has come up with a genius plan to help fund name, image and likeness deals.

First, win a national championship in football. And then, auction off the coach's game-worn headset for $112,500.

That's the approach taken by Bison Drop, "the official marketplace for authenticated IU athletics team gear," which launched in January during the Hoosiers' playoff run.

So uhhh... That just happened.

Cig's headset just went for $112k.

The last hour of the auction saw nearly a $90k increase in the top bid. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/JpD2x42lvi

— Bison Drops (@BisonDrops) February 9, 2026

Every Monday, a new item –– sourced and authenticated by Indiana athletics –– is put up for auction on bisondrop.com and closes Sunday. According to their website, when an item sells, the athlete or coach is compensated through an NIL agreement.

Some items are also released via "social drops," which require fans to follow certain steps on social media to be considered, with no payment required. There are other items available through the Hoosiers Connect store.

Cignetti's game-worn headset –– bought by an account named @rawles2002key –– has been by far the most desired product so far, but the idea seems to have generated plenty of interest among the Indiana fan base. And perhaps most importantly, it's another source of funding for NIL deals, which should help the program from a recruiting and roster retention standpoint.

On Monday, the new item put up for auction is black hat that says "win," with the letter "i" in the shape of a cigarette. The social drop item is a small rectangular see-through case with confetti from the national championship game and the 2026 College Football Playoff logo.

Here's a look at other recently sold items on Bison Drop.

• Away game WIN! Locker room sign: sold for $6,810
• National championship team-issued player towel: sold for $1,210
• CFP logo equipment decal: sold for $200
• Peach Bowl team-issued player towel: sold for $800
• Gatorade national championship game-used towel: sold for $1,170
• Rose Bowl team-issued player towel: sold for $1,250
• Peach Bowl game ball: sold for $7,200
• Rose Bowl game-worn patch: sold for $410
• Peach Bowl game-worn patch: sold for $330
• Curt Cignetti-signed Big Ten championship rally towel: sold for $700
• Curt Cignetti-signed Big Ten championship poster: sold for $850
• Bryan Haines-signed “I’m IN” hat: sold for $520

This is an example of NIL being done the right way. Rather than simply paying players to attend a school, in this case they're actually benefitting from their name, image and likeness, and fans are getting something in exchange.

It's not simply a massive donation from one millionaire or billionaire, either. It's a reflection of the impact the largest living alumni base in the country can have when they come together. And it connects the team, coaches and players with the fans.

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