Paul Finebaum Sounds Off on Curt Cignetti's Contract Extension with Indiana

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jaron Spor | Last updated Oct 17, 2025 2:47 PM ET

Key Points

Indiana’s Curt Cignetti has signed an eight-year, $93M extension
ESPN’s Paul Finebaum says Indiana jumped the gun on the deal
The No. 3 Hoosiers are 6-0, their highest ranking ever

Curt Cignetti has accomplished one of the best rebuilding efforts in college football history during his two seasons in Bloomington. In the three seasons before his arrival, the Indiana Hoosiers won a total of nine games and had never recorded a double-digit win season in their entire history.

In his first year, Cignetti led Indiana to an impressive 11-2 record and secured a spot in the College Football Playoff. This season, he has the Hoosiers at 6-0, ranked No. 3 in the AP poll, marking the highest ranking in the program's history. As a result of this success, he has signed a new eight-year contract with an average annual compensation of approximately $11.6 million, which will run through Nov. 30, 2033.

Despite this success, ESPN's Paul Finebaum revealed on "First Take" that he believes it was not a smart decision.

Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti looks up at the scoreboard.© Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

"They did not," Finebaum said. "Before anybody jumps out of their char, allow me to explain. I think everyone on this panel agrees that he's done a phenomenal job, but Stephen A., this is how programs get in trouble. They just gave him an extension and a contract raise at the end of last season. We are barely at the midpoint. Let it play out before you completely send the Brinks trucks up... I'm still not convinced that Curt Cignetti is one of the top coaches in America."

Finebaum referenced several recently fired head coaches, including Mel Tucker, the former Michigan State Spartans head coach; Jimbo Fisher, the former Texas A&M Aggies head coach; and James Franklin, the former Penn State Nittany Lions head coach. He used these examples to emphasize the importance of not committing to a coach too early in the process without allowing the situation to fully develop.

Indiana may have been concerned that Penn State would pursue Cignetti, so they aimed to secure him for the long term. He had been mentioned as a potential replacement for Franklin, who was fired earlier this year.

Cignetti and the Hoosiers will look to stay unbeaten when No. 3 Indiana hosts Michigan State on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on Peacock, with Finebaum’s words adding even more intrigue to one of college football’s most surprising stories.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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