Although Curt Cignetti signed an extension less than a year ago and is under contract through the 2032 season, people sure can't stop mentioning the Indiana football coach as James Franklin's successor at Penn State.
Cignetti, who has performed nothing short of a miracle in turning Indiana, a longtime Big Ten basement dweller, into a legitimate conference and national title contender in under two years, has become one of the hottest coaches in America since arriving to Bloomington. And his loyalty to IU will certainly be tested during the impending coaching carousel.
“We’re the emerging superpower in college football. Why would I leave?”
Curt Cignetti’s words after he signed his contract extension 11 months ago aged quite well. #iufb pic.twitter.com/npZ22cpQNS
— Nick Rodecap (@NickRodecap) October 12, 2025
While there are already plenty of intriguing vacancies around the country (and many more to come), few jobs, in theory, would be more enticing than Penn State. With the firing of Franklin, the top spot in a program that was playing in the College Football Playoff semifinal earlier in this calendar year is now available.
Penn State certainly has been more competitive than Indiana over the years, with the Nittany Lions winning a Big Ten title as recently as 2016 (compared to Indiana's last title in 1967) and appearing in half a dozen New Year's Six bowl games since the concept was introduced in 2014 (vs. Indiana's zero).
Another potential strong selling point in favor of PSU for Cignetti is that, in a way, he would be going home. The 64-year-old coach is a native of Pittsburgh, an alum of West Virginia, and and he has worked in Pennsylvania multiple times over the years, including in his first head coaching job at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) from 2011 to 2016.
So what if Cignetti were to leave Bloomington for Happy Valley? Well, it would cost him at least $10 million and up to $13 million if he were to bolt before Dec. 1.
Would Cignetti really make that deal? Unless he is dead-set on going back to his home state, it would seem unlikely, especially considering Penn State was paying Franklin $8.5 million a year, which is only marginally more than what Cignetti already makes. And Indiana is almost certainly going to fork over more money at some point this year to sweeten Cignetti's deal if he can, as is expected, make a run at the Big Ten title game and CFP.
It won't be too long until Cignetti is in Happy Valley, though, as he and the Hoosiers are set for a road game at Penn State on Nov. 8.
