One perk of being a college football coach is that you don’t have to stress about your finances. These College football coaches typically earn in millions each season. Most college football coaches make somewhere between $600,000 to $5 million a year. When you compare their salary to the average U.S. salary, it’s almost absurd. The average salary in the U.S. is $63,795 as per the latest data from the Social Security Administration (SSA). Ever pondered the yearly earnings of the undefeated Indiana Hoosiers (9-0) head coach Curt Cignetti?

The top programs in the nation pay their coaches in 8 digits. Coaches like Dabo Swinney, Kirby Smart, Kalen DeBoer, Lincoln Riley, and Steve Sarkisian earn slightly above $10 million each season. However, there are few coaches within the NCAA whose salary does not exceed a million. Where does the Indiana Hoosiers HC Curt Cignetti rank between them? At James Madison, Cignetti was earning $ 677,331 in the 2023 season. Last December, the HC agreed to a six-year contract with the Indiana Hoosiers, and in his first year itself, he will earn a total pay of $4.25 million annually. 

In his first year, he’s set to make $3.5 million from outside deals, including marketing and promotions. While his base salary sits at $500,000. According to this contract, the annual amount will increase each season by $100k. By the end of his last season, he will earn $4 million with the Hoosiers. Another key part of his compensation is a $250K retention payment if he stays on as head coach through November 30, which continues each year until his contract ends. Colleges are starting to offer retention bonuses to help keep coaches around.

The contract gives Cignetti a $25,000 signing bonus to help him settle in, plus a $25,000 car allowance—paid monthly, of course—because every coach deserves a nice ride. He’ll also get reimbursed for any work travel, so no out-of-pocket expenses for those recruiting trips! On top of that, Indiana already hands out $1.2 million to James Madison for his existing buyout clause and another $550,620 for other related expenses. It’s obvious how hard Indiana was trying to lure him in by making all these financial commitments because they saw the potential and vision in him.

Where does Curt Cignetti rank?

If we start to compare Cignetti’s salary to some other college football coaches. While $4.25 million is a good amount, unfortunately, it’s on the lower end compared to some big-shot coaches. Many top coaches around the league make over $6,00,000, even a few with a losing season.

The elite tier coaches like Steve Sarkisian (Texas), Kirby Smart (Georgia), Dabo Swinney (Clemson) are the ones hitting $10,00,000 bucks. For most coaches, aside from a few big names, the base salary rarely goes beyond $500K a year. It’s the bonuses and extra incentives that really send those paychecks into the stratosphere.

However, these are Cignetti’s first steps at the high end of college football. So, where does he fall? Probably somewhere in the middle. Is he among the top 25 highest-paid coaches? No. As per a USA Today list, Cignetti ranks 49th. But, that should be seen in context. What’s the context? He’s earning six times what he earned at his previous job at the Dukes. And looking at how things have gone for the Hoosiers, who’d blame Cignetti if he demands another pay rise in January next year?