Was Indiana football always a sleeping giant, simply short on the necessary investment to the elevate the program, and often lacking a competent head coach?
Probably. That’s what Curt Cignetti thinks, anyway. And he certainly has a more than adequate frame of reference to make that determination.
“You’ve got to be good in football nowadays, because that’s where the money is. And maybe Indiana was a little late to the game in realizing that. I think getting a president in Pam Whitten who loves football and is from Alabama really helped,” Cignetti told ESPN’s Greg McElroy earlier this month.
He believes IU has always had the potential to achieve the new heights the football program experienced in 2024.
“What happened here in the past is only because of neglect. We’ve got a great campus, great university, great resources, second-largest alumni base in America.”
Neglect is a harsh word delivered by a man who isn’t known as one to sugarcoat his thoughts.
But on his way out the door, Cignetti’s predecessor Tom Allen signaled the same kind of concerns.
IU made some moves over the 15 prior years that signaled some degree of recognition the investment in football had to increase. Both ends of Memorial Stadium were enclosed, a locker room project was completed, and other amenities were added.
But during Allen’s tenure, Indiana was confronting the new realities of college football in the NIL era.
And in Allen’s mind, IU’s efforts were inadequate.
“College football has changed dramatically over the past several years. Some of those changes have been a shock to the conscience of those who support IU football. The time has come to fully embrace those changes and I pray that IU does just that,” Allen said in November 2023.
As he set out to replace Allen, IU AD Scott Dolson knew he had to demonstrate to prospective candidates Indiana was ready, willing and able to test the limits of successful football at Indiana.
IU was at a major inflection point in 2023, with the Big Ten expanding to 18 teams and a massive new media rights deal about to help replenish the coffers. The opportunity was there for university leadership intent on building a competitive football team.
It started with securing significant investments from donors in Indiana’s forgotten revenue sport.
“Coach Cignetti would not be here if we didn’t have a robust NIL program,” Dolson told WRTV last year. “That’s just because you have to have the resources to be able to win. As good as he is, he needs those resources as well. The NIL opportunity for us has enabled us to really level the playing field around the country.”
Ironically, one of Indiana’s biggest initial investments in the program was the $15.5 million it paid Tom Allen to buy out his contract in 2023. In addition to that and the NIL commitment, IU leadership has substantially increased the salary pool for assistant coaches, and then gave major raises to Cignetti and his entire staff. IU’s spending on football coaching salaries alone has more than doubled over the last six years.
But the investment goes much deeper, into things like recruiting budgets, player perks and benefits, the gameday experience, support staff, and more.
According to information published in the Knight-Newhouse database, IU has increased its football expenditures every year since 2021, from $23.9 million to $61.6 million. 2024 was the first year at least going back to 2005 that IU exceeded the Big Ten median in total football spending.
Cignetti believes he’s getting what he needs to not rev the IU football engines like he did in 2024, but keep the Hoosiers in the national conversation going forward.
“I felt a real commitment from the President Pam Whitten and the Athletic Director Scott Dolson to get football going,” he said. “I mean football generates 90% of the athletic revenue across the country, and they wanted to get it rolling. I think you can win anywhere in America with the proper commitment from the top.”
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