Indiana is showing serious financial commitment to the football program amid a historic season.
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In October, the Hoosiers signed head coach Curt Cignetti to a new eight-year contract that will pay him approximately $11.6 million per year. Following Cignetti’s new deal, IU won the Big Ten championship and earned the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.
(On Friday, Cignetti won Home Depot Coach of the Year.)
The Hoosiers will next play in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1 between the winner of the matchup between No. 8 Oklahoma and No. 9 Alabama.
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Per Michael Niziolek of The Herald-Times, Indiana agreed to a contract extension with defensive coordinator Bryant Haines that will pay him nearly $3 million per season.
“Indiana football has signed defensive coordinator Bryant Haines to a lucrative new extension that will pay him in the range of $3 million a year, per a source familiar with the situation,” Niziolek wrote.
IU is ranked No. 6 in total defense in the nation before the postseason, averaging giving up 257.2 yards per game.
Haines, 40, had been suggested as a possible candidate to replace Sherrone Moore at Michigan.
RJ Young with Fox Sports argued that Haines’ philosophy of pairing a strong defense with an efficient running game would make him an attractive candidate at Michigan.
“The reigning AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year has worked under Curt Cignetti since his days at James Madison and each of the last two years at IU,” Young wrote. “ “He’s a significant part of the Hoosiers going 24-2, with four All-Big Ten First Team players on this year’s roster en route to IU’s first Big Ten title since 1967 and first No. 1 ranking in history.”
Indiana has gone 24-2 under Cignetti, and Haines’ defense has been a big reason for the team’s success, making the CFP in their first two seasons with the program.
The Hoosiers held Ohio State to just 10 points in a 13-10 win in the Big Ten championship.
For more on the NCAA, head to Newsweek Sports.
