Curt Cignetti 'Glad We Got This Done' After 8-Year Indiana Football Contract Extension

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Don Fischer, the long-standing voice of Indiana University Athletics, had only said the length of Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti's new contract extension when cheers and applause broke out Thursday night at Hoosier Hank's in Bloomington.

Fischer never said the compensation. He glanced over and told Cignetti he wasn't going to do it.

"Thank you," Cignetti said on the Inside Indiana Football radio show. "I just want you to know, 10 years ago, I was making about $130,000, okay?"

Cignetti now makes much more than he did at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Much, much more. The 64-year-old coach inked an eight-year contract worth approximately $11.6 million annually, IU Athletics announced in a press release Thursday afternoon.

The deal runs through Nov. 30, 2033, which gives Cignetti only one additional season from his previous contract but with nearly $3.5 million more on a per-year basis.

Cignetti is now the third highest-paid coach in college football, according to USA Today. But now, with a Homecoming game against Michigan State looming at 3:30 p.m. Saturday inside Memorial Stadium, isn't the time to celebrate, Cignetti said.

"Well, here's what I'm going to say about that, okay? It's business as usual," Cignetti said. "My focus is on Michigan State. We got 44 hours to get our mindset right and sharpen our focus and develop a little clearer perspective of what it's going to take Saturday."

Cignetti later referred to Michigan State, which is 3-3 overall and 0-3 in Big Ten play, as a potential trap game for the Hoosiers. Not only could distractions arise from Cignetti's contract extension, but also the wave of momentum from the No. 3 Hoosiers road win at No. 8 Oregon last week.

But the timing of Cignetti's contract also helped remove another distraction: Whether he'd leave for Penn State, which fired James Franklin on Oct. 12 after its third consecutive loss. Cignetti had been tabbed as a potential candidate for the vacancy by several national pundits.

Cignetti said in a social media video posted Thursday afternoon by IU Athletics he plans on retiring as a Hoosier. His new contract, and the financial commitment beneath it, only cements his intentions.

And to Cignetti, Thursday's timing was plenty good enough.

"I'm glad we got this done," Cignetti said. "I think it's good for the program and good for me and our team to have this behind us, so we can focus on what we got to get done. Because people like to talk about trap game and things of that nature and especially when you come off a big win, how hard it is to come back and win after a big win.

"So, I think that's the most important thing going on here. I'm just going to continue to keep doing what I've been doing since the day I was hired. And my contract's one year longer."

Cignetti spearheaded Indiana's dramatic turnaround from Big Ten doormat to national powerhouse. The Hoosiers, who went 3-9 under coach Tom Allen in 2023, finished with an 11-2 record and College Football Playoff berth in Cignetti's first season in 2024.

Now, No. 3 Indiana has its highest ranking in program history, and the Hoosiers received first-place votes in the Week 8 Associated Press poll.

Cignetti doesn't often publicly bask in the development he's led at Indiana, perhaps because the on-field product usually tells all. But after such a contract, one that puts him behind only Georgia's Kirby Smart and Ohio State's Ryan Day as the sport's most compensated coaches, he felt compelled to reflect.

"We've made a lot of progress in a short amount of time here," Cignetti said. "And I really appreciate the commitment from (Indiana President) Pam Witten and (Indiana athletic director) Scott Dolson, the university, the fans, and how they've sold the stadium out and just really rallied behind our success.

"You can feel the momentum growing."

Cignetti added Indiana has the largest alumni base in America, and he said Thursday afternoon on The Pat McAfee Show giving has increased toward the program. The Hoosiers are getting more high-profile, high-powered donors into the program, and facilities are improving.

Fan support is as high as ever, too. Hoosier Hank's had to open overflow seating outside the restaurant due to the number of attendees for Cignetti's weekly radio show. When Cignetti arrived, several fans stood up. Some waved their shakers or rally towels, both of which were implemented during the Hoosiers' historic 2024 season.

And when he finished his last segment on Thursday night's show, Cignetti again lived the life of a rockstar. He was cheered. He was stopped for pictures. He went to the front entryway and signed autographs for those who brought items.

Cignetti, by all accounts, is a long way from his $130,000 contract at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. And the Hoosiers feel just as distant from their grim football history.

But such is the result of one of college football's most rapid turnarounds — one that brought a head-turning contract and, instead of fear, delivered another night of rockstar treatment for Cignetti. He's become Bloomington's favorite king, and he now has $93.25 million reasons to hold the title until retirement.