Curt Cignetti has become one of college football’s biggest success stories. Indiana’s head coach has led the Hoosiers to back-to-back College Football Playoff appearances in just two seasons. Now he’s one win away from delivering the program’s first national championship.
The 64-year-old coach already ranks among college football’s highest-paid coaches.
But specific language in his contract guarantees him a raise regardless of Monday night’s outcome against Miami.
Cignetti’s Contract Extension
Indiana locked up its coach during November’s coaching carousel. Cignetti signed an extension through the 2033 season while major programs like Penn State, LSU, and Florida searched for new coaches.
The deal made him one of college football’s highest-paid coaches at the time.
Current Salary Details
Cignetti’s annual salary for 2025-26 is $11.6 million, according to Indiana University.
When he signed the extension, that figure ranked third nationally behind Ohio State’s Ryan Day and Georgia’s Kirby Smart.
But Lane Kiffin’s recent move to LSU has changed the landscape.
Performance Bonuses
Cignetti has earned significant bonuses during Indiana’s 2025 playoff run.
He received a $250,000 signing bonus with his extension. Additional Big Ten performance bonuses totaled $1.5 million. College Football Playoff-related bonuses added another $1 million.
Awards like Big Ten Coach of the Year and AP Coach of the Year combined for $150,000.
Here’s the breakdown of his 2025-26 bonus structure:
- 5th Big Ten win: $100,000
- 6th Big Ten win: $150,000
- Big Ten championship: $1,000,000
- CFP first round: $500,000
- CFP quarterfinal: $600,000
- CFP semifinal: $700,000
- CFP runner-up: $1,000,000
- CFP champion: $2,000,000
The Kiffin Connection
LSU signed Kiffin to a seven-year deal worth $13 million annually. The contract makes the former Ole Miss coach the nation’s second-highest paid, behind Georgia’s Kirby Smart and ahead of Ohio State’s Ryan Day.
Kiffin’s deal automatically triggers a Cignetti raise.
Indiana’s coach has a “good faith market review” clause that obligates the university to keep his salary at or above the nation’s third-highest paid coach. The clause activated after Indiana’s Rose Bowl victory over Alabama.
“Beginning with the 2025 collegiate football season, the parties agree to complete a good faith review and negotiation of Coach’s compensation within 120 days after the Team appears in the CFP Semi-Final Game,” the contract reads, according to 247Sports.
If Indiana doesn’t offer terms making Cignetti’s compensation at least third among active CFP-eligible coaches, the university waives certain contract provisions.
Salary Progression
Cignetti’s pay has increased dramatically over recent years. He coached at Elon from 2017-18 before spending four seasons at James Madison.
| Season | School | Annual Salary |
| 2025-26 | Indiana | $11.6 million |
| 2024-25 | Indiana | $4.25 million |
| 2023-24 | James Madison | $677,311 |
| 2022-23 | James Madison | $621,008 |
| 2021-22 | James Madison | $459,638 |
| 2020-21 | James Madison | $437,750 |
| 2019-2020 | James Madison | $425,000 |
National Salary Rankings
Here are college football’s highest-paid coaches, including Kiffin’s new LSU deal:
- Kirby Smart, Georgia: $13.28 million
- Lane Kiffin, LSU: $13 million
- Ryan Day, Ohio State: $12.58 million
- Curt Cignetti, Indiana: $11.6 million
- Lincoln Riley, USC: $11.54 million
- Dabo Swinney, Clemson: $11.45 million
- Mike Elko, Texas A&M: $11 million
- Steve Sarkisian, Texas: $10.8 million
- Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri: $10.75 million
- Dan Lanning, Oregon: $10.6 million
