Indiana football squashed any thought of Curt Cignetti bolting Bloomington Thursday. IU locked in Cignetti with a massive eight-year extension.
The move eliminates Cignetti leaving for Penn State or any other high-profile opening across the college football landscape. Plus he can refocus on leading the new No. 3 team in the nation.
Yet, say things unravel down the road for Cignetti and the Hoosiers. How much will it cost to fire him? Adam Rittenberg of ESPN revealed an eye-raising number attached to Cignetti if both parties were to sever ties.
“If Indiana fires coach Curt Cignetti without cause during his new deal, his $93.25 million is fully guaranteed, per ESPN sources,” Rittenberg posted on the social media website X, formerly Twitter.
Yes, $95 million gets coughed up by the university if Cignetti gets canned. But considering the trajectory of Hoosiers football, he's not going anywhere anytime soon.
Did Indiana make Curt Cignetti nation's highest paid coach?
Cignetti will rake in $11.6 million each year in Bloomington. This new extension he agreed to stretches until 2033.
But does this new financial promotion make him the highest paid CFB head coach? Cignetti is still behind two national champion winners.
Ohio State's Ryan Day earns more than Cignetti among Big Ten coaches — pulling in $12.6 million per season. Kirby Smart earns the title of CFB's best paid head coach, though. Georgia extended him in May 2024 with a 10-year contract paying him $13.3 million per year.
Still, Cignetti earns a record-breaking contract at a place not deep in football tradition compared to Ohio State, Georgia and other annual CFB powers. Cignetti has IU ranked third in the nation for the first time ever.
Indiana snapped a notable 46-game trend attached to Oregon in Saturday's road upset. IU frustrated Dante Moore by forcing him to throw some costly interceptions. The Hoosiers now get Michigan State at home this Saturday.
