On3 names Curt Cignetti a bargain hire and it certainly paid off for the Hoosiers

When Indiana hired Curt Cignetti from James Madison a little over a year ago, they had hope he would do great things at Indiana, but they probably didn't expect for him to do so much in his first season. Cignetti certainly set the bar high for years to come at Indiana, but he is did it at a cheap price.

When he was hired, Cignetti was signed to a deal that would earn him $4.2 million a year. So for his first season at Indiana, the Hoosiers certainly got a bargain for the outcome of the season under Cignetti.

Now, in November of 2024, the Hoosiers, after seeing Cignetti coach for just two months, decided to give the first-year head coach a contract extension through 2032 that raises his yearly income to $8 million plus a $1 million annual retention bonus.

On the list of coaches that On3 compiled, Cignetti had the second highest salary only behind Marcus Freeman at Notre Dame, but only spending $4 million on a coach on his first season and it resulting in the best season in program history and the Hoosiers first ever College Football Playoff appearance certainly seems like a steal.

Going forward, Cignetti will be paid more, but it is certainly deserved for what he did in his first season. The tough job starts now, though, because expectations will be there for Indiana to perform and with a lot of players filling new positions, it is time to see how Cignetti and his staff will adapt.

There is no doubt that Cignetti was a steal of a hire for Indiana and he proved it this season. Clearly other people are seeing it now too.