Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti has been mentioned as a possible candidate for the now-vacant Penn State job, but he is not going anywhere.
Indiana announced on Thursday that Cignetti has signed an eight-year contract extension with the team that will pay him $11.6 million annually. That figure makes Cignetti one of the five highest-paid coaches in the country and puts him in line with Lincoln Riley, Dabo Swinney and Steve Sarkisian.
Cignetti also released a video expressing his loyalty to Indiana and saying he plans on “retiring as a Hoosier.”
“The way that this state has embraced us and our success in football has meant more to me than anything else” Cignetti said. “So, I just wanted to get on camera and let you know that Curt Cignetti is gonna work daily to make Indiana the best that they can be.”
A Hoosier through & through.
— Indiana Football (@IndianaFootball) October 16, 2025
Our coach, @CCignettiIU. 🎥 pic.twitter.com/DFo7n6Ke1w
The new deal ties Cignetti to Indiana through 2033.
Cignetti, 64, is in his second season with Indiana. The former James Madison head coach has very quickly built the Hoosiers into one of the top football programs in the country. After going 11-2 and losing in the first round of the College Football Playoff last year, Indiana is ranked No. 3 in the country and coming off a massive win over Oregon.
Cignetti was one of the first candidates to be linked to the Penn State job after James Franklin was fired. That likely factored into the timing of his extension with Indiana. If his name was on Penn State’s list, it can now officially be removed.
