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Indiana Hoosiers athletic director Scott Dolson (left) celebrates a win over the UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl during the 2024 football season. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

How Scott Dolson Moved Quickly To Keep Curt Cignetti At Indiana

Originally posted on Indiana Hoosiers on SI
By Jack Ankony | Last updated Oct 20, 2025 4:23 PM ET

Coaching changes have become a major storyline of the 2025 season, with notable programs like Penn State, Florida, Arkansas, Virginia Tech, UCLA and others making midseason firings.

For Indiana, that meant opponents would come after Curt Cignetti, who's proven to be among the nation's best with an 18-2 record amid his second season at Indiana, which went 9-27 in the previous three seasons. Cignetti became a popular name to replace James Franklin at Penn State, a program historically viewed as superior to Indiana.

But in a new era of college athletics, athletic director Scott Dolson has leveraged Indiana's financial resources and ascended to national relevance. Two days before a 38-13 win over Michigan State, Indiana staved off Penn State and others by inking Cignetti to an eight-year $93 million contract. On Monday, Cignetti shared some insight into how it came together.

How Scott Dolson kept Curt Cignetti at Indiana

Before success-based bonuses eventually kicked in, Cignetti's first contract with Indiana was set to pay him $4 million for the 2024 season between his base salary and outside, marketing and promotional income. Following a 10-0 start last season, Indiana upped Cignetti's contract to eight years and $72 million through the 2032 season.

And as the Hoosiers continued to roll through their 2025 schedule with a 6-0 start, it required another bump in order to fend off suitors. Now under contract at Indiana through the 2033 season, Cignetti will make an average annual compensation of approximately $11.6 million.

According to Cignetti, it all came together quickly.

"[Dolson] just walked in my office," Cignetti said Monday. "Normally he comes in every Thursday and we chat about the game. He popped in right before the player meetings on either Tuesday or Wednesday, I can't remember. I was watching tape. I was really consumed with prep."

"He popped in for about a minute and a half said, 'This is kind of what we'd like to do. Is it okay if we call your representative?' I said, 'Sure, it would be great.' And within 48 hours, 36 hours, it was done."

Cignetti's new contract may seem over the top compared to standards even a few years ago, but that's simply the cost of doing business as an elite college football program in 2025. Indiana's head coach is now the third-highest paid coach in the country, behind only Georgia's Kirby Smart and Ohio State's Ryan Day, who's accounted for three of the last four national championships.

It also shows Dolson's commitment to not only establishing success by hiring Cignetti, but maintaining it by doing what's required to keep him in Bloomington. Along with Cignetti's raise, Indiana increased the on-field staff salary and support pool from $6,395,000 to $11 million in November 2024 to help retain offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan, defensive coordinator Bryant Haines and others.

“We are committed to investing in IU Football in such a way that we can compete at a championship level, and the No. 1 priority in doing that is ensuring that Coach Cignetti is the leader of our program,” Dolson said in a news release. “His accomplishments during the last season and a half have been nothing short of remarkable. As much as anyone, he believed in what was possible with our program, and he’s turned that belief into reality. This is a great day for IU Football and Indiana University. I look forward to working alongside Coach Cignetti for many years to come.”