Curt Cignetti is the head football coach at Indiana University, where he has transformed the Hoosiers from a 3-9 team in 2023 into a national champion. He enters the 2026 season after leading Indiana to a perfect 16-0 record and its first national title.
Curt Cignetti at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Curt Cignetti |
| Current job | Head football coach, Indiana University |
| Born | June 2, 1961 |
| Age | 65 as of September 2026 |
| College | West Virginia University |
| Playing position | Quarterback |
| Wife | Manette Cignetti |
| Children | Three |
| Indiana tenure | 2024-present |
| Previous head-coaching jobs | IUP, Elon, James Madison |
| 2025 Indiana record | 16-0 |
| National championship | 2025 season |
| Current contract | Through 2033 |
| Reported average annual compensation | $13.2 million |
Cignetti’s official Indiana biography confirms his playing career at West Virginia, his coaching history, family, and current position. His June 2, 1961, birth date is reported by biographical sources, making him 65 in September 2026.
Who Is Curt Cignetti?
Curt Cignetti is a longtime college football coach whose career developed largely outside the sport’s biggest head-coaching jobs. Before becoming a national championship-winning coach at Indiana, he spent more than two decades as an assistant at programs including Pittsburgh, Rice, Temple, NC State and Alabama.
His first head-coaching opportunity came at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, commonly known as IUP, in 2011. He later coached at Elon before taking over James Madison in 2019. Those stops established the track record that eventually brought him to the Big Ten.
What makes his career unusual is the scale of the turnaround at each stage. At IUP, he went 53-17 in six seasons. At Elon, he posted a 14-9 record and took the program to the FCS playoffs in both seasons. At James Madison, he went 52-9 over five years and helped the Dukes move successfully from the FCS to the FBS.
Curt Cignetti’s Coaching Career
Cignetti began coaching as a graduate assistant at Pittsburgh in 1983. He subsequently coached quarterbacks and receivers at Davidson, quarterbacks at Rice and Temple, and quarterbacks and tight ends at Pittsburgh.
His next major stop was NC State, where he spent 2000 through 2006 as recruiting coordinator while also working with quarterbacks and tight ends. He then joined Nick Saban’s first Alabama staff in 2007 as recruiting coordinator and wide receivers coach. Alabama went 12-2 in 2008 and won the national championship after an undefeated 2009 season.
That experience mattered later. Cignetti developed a reputation for recruiting, organization and building programs around clearly defined standards rather than relying solely on inherited talent.
Head-Coaching Timeline
Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 2011-16: Cignetti went 53-17, reached the Division II playoffs three times and produced four Top 25 finishes.
Elon, 2017-18: He went 14-9 and led Elon to consecutive FCS playoff appearances. His first season produced an eight-win campaign and earned him Colonial Athletic Association Coach of the Year honors.
James Madison, 2019-23: Cignetti went 52-9, won three consecutive CAA championships and guided the Dukes through their FCS-to-FBS transition. In 2023, James Madison went 11-1, won the Sun Belt East and earned the school’s first bowl bid.
Indiana, 2024-present: Cignetti immediately changed the trajectory of the Hoosiers, producing 11 wins in 2024 and 16 wins in 2025. Indiana reached the College Football Playoff in each of his first two seasons.
What Did Curt Cignetti Do at Indiana?
Cignetti took over Indiana after the Hoosiers finished 3-9 in 2023. In his first season, Indiana went 11-2, earned a College Football Playoff berth and recorded the biggest single-season improvement in the program’s history.
The following season was even more significant.
Indiana went 16-0 during the 2025 season, won the Big Ten championship and finished No. 1 in the final AP rankings after defeating Miami 27-21 in the College Football Playoff National Championship. It was Indiana’s first national championship in football.
The unbeaten season also placed Cignetti’s team in rare historical company. The 16 wins tied the all-time FBS single-season record, while Indiana’s 16-0 campaign became one of the defining seasons in the modern program’s history.
Cignetti also became the coach of Indiana’s first Heisman Trophy winner, quarterback Fernando Mendoza, during the championship season.
Curt Cignetti’s Coaching Record
Through the end of the 2025 season, Cignetti had a 146-37 overall record as a head coach based on his records at IUP, Elon, James Madison and Indiana. His Indiana mark after two seasons was 27-2.
| School | Years | Record |
|---|---|---|
| IUP | 2011-16 | 53-17 |
| Elon | 2017-18 | 14-9 |
| James Madison | 2019-23 | 52-9 |
| Indiana | 2024-25 | 27-2 |
| Career | 2011-25 | 146-37 |
His record at James Madison is particularly important because he did more than win games. He helped the program make the difficult transition from FCS football to the FBS level while remaining nationally competitive.
Curt Cignetti’s Awards and Honors
Cignetti has collected coaching awards at virtually every head-coaching stop.
At IUP, he was the 2012 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. At Elon, he won CAA Coach of the Year in 2017. James Madison’s 2023 campaign earned him Sun Belt Coach of the Year honors.
At Indiana, the recognition accelerated. He was named Big Ten Coach of the Year and received multiple national Coach of the Year awards after the 2024 season. He repeated as Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2025 and added several more national honors after Indiana’s championship season.
Indiana’s official biography lists consecutive 2024 and 2025 Coach of the Year honors from organizations including the Associated Press, AFCA, Home Depot, Sporting News and Walter Camp.
Curt Cignetti’s Salary and Contract
Cignetti’s success at Indiana has also changed the financial value of his contract.
Indiana announced an eight-year agreement in October 2025 with average annual compensation of approximately $11.6 million through November 2033. After Indiana reached the College Football Playoff semifinal, a contract provision triggered a market review.
That review ultimately increased his average annual compensation to $13.2 million, with the revised agreement remaining in place through 2033. The full agreement was reported at $105.6 million over eight years before incentives.
The reported structure includes a $500,000 annual base salary, substantial supplemental compensation and retention bonuses. Because the contract contains incentives and additional provisions, the headline $13.2 million figure should be understood as average annual compensation rather than simply base salary.
Curt Cignetti’s Wife and Family
Cignetti is married to Manette Cignetti, and the couple has three children: Natalie, Carly and Curtis. Indiana’s official biography also notes that Natalie was an honorable mention All-American volleyball player at IUP.
Football has been a family tradition for Cignetti. His father, Frank Cignetti Sr., was a successful college football coach at West Virginia and IUP and is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. Curt also spent part of his career working alongside Nick Saban at Alabama, whose connection to the Cignetti family goes back to Frank Cignetti Sr.
Where Is Curt Cignetti Now?
As of September 2026, Cignetti is entering his third season as Indiana’s head coach. The Hoosiers begin the 2026 campaign as the defending national champions and were ranked No. 6 in the preseason AP poll.
The challenge is different this time. Indiana must defend its title after losing several key players, including Heisman-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza, while facing a demanding Big Ten schedule. Cignetti has retained significant coaching continuity and reloaded the roster through returning players and transfers.
That makes 2026 an important test of whether Indiana’s rise was a remarkable two-year surge or the beginning of a sustained national contender under Cignetti.
Why Curt Cignetti’s Career Matters
Cignetti’s story stands out because he did not arrive at Indiana as a household-name head coach from another powerhouse. He spent years developing programs at smaller schools, learned recruiting at Alabama and eventually turned that experience into success at the highest level of college football.
His first two seasons at Indiana produced 27 wins, two College Football Playoff appearances and the program’s first national championship. That combination makes his arrival one of the most successful coaching transitions in recent FBS history.
The next chapter will determine how durable that success becomes. For now, Cignetti enters the 2026 season with a national championship, a long-term contract and one of the strongest records in major college football.
FAQs
How old is Curt Cignetti?
Curt Cignetti was born June 2, 1961, making him 65 years old as of September 2026.
Who is Curt Cignetti’s wife?
Curt Cignetti is married to Manette Cignetti. The couple has three children: Natalie, Carly and Curtis.
What is Curt Cignetti’s coaching record?
Through the 2025 season, Cignetti had a 146-37 overall head-coaching record. His record at Indiana through two seasons was 27-2.
Did Curt Cignetti win a national championship?
Yes. Cignetti led Indiana to a perfect 16-0 season and the 2025 College Football Playoff national championship, the first football national title in Indiana program history.
How much does Curt Cignetti make?
His revised Indiana contract averages approximately $13.2 million per year and runs through 2033, with reported total compensation of $105.6 million over eight years before applicable incentives.
Where did Curt Cignetti coach before Indiana?
Before Indiana, Cignetti was the head coach at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Elon and James Madison. He also spent 26 years as an assistant coach at Pittsburgh, Davidson, Rice, Temple, NC State and Alabama.
Source list
- Indiana University Athletics: Curt Cignetti, Head Coach Staff Directory, Access Date: September 5, 2026.
- Indiana University Athletics: Indiana University and Football Coach Curt Cignetti Agree to New Eight-Year Contract Through 2033, Access Date: September 5, 2026.
- Indiana University Athletics: Cignetti Named 30th Head Football Coach at Indiana University, Access Date: September 5, 2026.
- Indiana University Athletics: Preseason Central: Football, 2026, Access Date: September 5, 2026.
- ESPN: Source: Cignetti’s salary now averages $13.2M through 2033, Access Date: September 5, 2026.
- Indiana Daily Student: Full details of Indiana football’s Curt Cignetti’s $100 million-plus contract, Access Date: September 5, 2026.
- Sports-Reference: Curt Cignetti College Coaching Records, Awards and Leaderboards, Access Date: September 5, 2026.
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