The debut season of Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti is beginning with a hefty financial promise.

With a 41-24 win over Northwestern on Saturday, the Hoosiers moved to an impressive 6-0, marking their best start to a season in over fifty years and securing their position as the first college football team this year to qualify for a bowl game.

If they do secure a bowl game, Cignetti’s contract will activate several incentives:

▶ He will receive a one-year automatic extension and a $250,000 salary boost, taking effect when his new contract year begins on December 1, 2024.

This increase raises the newly added contract year to a total worth of $5.1 million, contributing an additional $3.3 million in guaranteed money that will extend until November 30, 2030.

▶ A bonus of $200,000 will be provided at the end of this season.

▶ Starting January 1, 2025, an additional $500,000 will be allocated to the Indiana football assistant coaches, strength staff, and operations team. Currently, each assistant coach is slated for bonuses equating to 10% of their base salaries.

This is quite a financial leap for Cignetti, who was earning just over $555,000 last season as the head coach at James Madison, not considering a $120,000 retention bonus he forfeited by signing with Indiana in December 2022.

Cignetti’s initial agreement with Indiana was for six years, worth an anticipated total of $27 million.

The contract consists of various bonus opportunities potentially totaling $3.3 million in an ideal scenario. As the Hoosiers are currently 3-0 in Big Ten play, if they manage to secure two more conference victories, Cignetti will earn an additional $100,000. If the team finishes in the top six of the conference standings, he’ll receive another $250,000.