Curt Cignetti has had a meteoric salary rise

Curt Cignetti has had a major turnaround in his salary.

Indiana announced on Thursday that Cignetti has agreed to an 8-year deal with the Hoosiers that will pay him $11.6 million per year through 2033. Indiana had competition from Penn State for Cignetti, who is coming off leading the Hoosiers to a big road win over the Oregon Ducks. The deal makes Cignetti one of the highest-paid coaches in college football, and it’s hard not to feel he deserves it.

Cignetti took over as Indiana’s coach two years ago after the program had gone 3-9 in 2023 under Tom Allen. Cignetti turned things around immediately and went 11-2 last year while leading the Hoosiers to the College Football Playoff. The program is 6-0 this season and ranks fourth in the country in both points scored per game and points allowed per game.

Not only has Cignetti led a big turnaround at Indiana, but he also has seen a big turnaround in his salary. He went from making $138,000 per year as the head coach at Elon in 2017 to making over $11 million per year 9 years later.