Indiana and coach Curt Cignetti have made a major statement when it comes to how much they value strength and conditioning coach Derek Owings.
According to a report by 247Sports national analyst Matt Zenitz, Owings’ new deal reported last week will be worth $900,000 per year and make him one of the top-five highest paid strength coaches throughout college football.
These developments arose after USC reportedly tried to pluck Owings away from Indiana with a lucrative offer.
The Daily Hoosier has made a FOIA request to confirm the details of Owings’ new arrangement.
When Cignetti signed his new deal in November he negotiated a significant increase to the salary pool for the assistant coaches. He’s tapped into that on several occasions, including now a second time with Owings.
When Owings originally signed with IU he was making $535,000. He signed a new deal in December that bumped his salary to $635,000.
Owings has been with Cignetti since 2020, and the pair seem to be on the same page when it comes to their working relationship.
“Derek Owings is a guy I got a lot of confidence in,” Cignetti said last year. “Strength and conditioning has really changed through the years. It’s become a very scientific thing. I think he’s on the cutting edge, gets great results. I have 100% confidence in him. I don’t mess with him. That’s his area. I let him go.”
The fact that the head coach “let’s him go” is one of things Owings likes about working with Cignetti.
“I think that’s my favorite part about (Cignetti),” Owings said last year. ‘Hey, this is what I want. These are my expectations. Now, go train them how you need to.’ And he does the same thing with the rest of the staff, too. He gives us a lot of ownership inside our department.”
Strength and conditioning coach salaries have skyrocketed in recent years.
When IU lost strength coach David Ballou to Alabama in 2020, his first reported salary with the Crimson Tide was $500,000. Ballou made $950,000 with Alabama last year.
When Indiana hired Aaron Wellman to replace Ballou they paid him $700,000 per year, making him the third highest strength coach in all of college football, behind only behind only Ohio State’s Mickey Marotti ($801,150) and Iowa’s Chris Doyle ($800,200).
USA Today’s latest salary database, updated Dec. 2024, says Oklahoma State’s Rob Glass is the highest paid strength coach at $1.1 million. But obviously things are fluid at the moment.
For complete coverage of IU football, GO HERE.
The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly”
- You can follow us on Twitter: @daily_hoosier
- Find us on Facebook and Instagram
- Seven ways to support completely free IU coverage at no cost to you.
