After Indiana football's Big Ten Championship game victory Dec. 6, a 26-day break awaited the Hoosiers.
But for Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti, the two bye weeks before learning the Hoosiers’ Rose Bowl opponent served an additional purpose: time to focus on next season’s team, learning key players’ plans and identifying needs throughout the roster."
Cignetti and his staff are “about 95%” through those conversations with key players. But Cignetti also made it a point to lock up both defensive coordinator Bryant Haines and offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan with new contracts.
Haines’ new deal puts him in the $3 million salary range, making him one of the highest-paid assistant coaches nationally, while Shanahan’s salary is unclear. The Indiana Daily Student is awaiting a public records request for the contracts for full details.
“Both those guys have been with me a long time,” Cignetti said in a teleconference Monday. “They both do a great job.”
Haines first began coaching under Cignetti in 2014 as a strength and conditioning and defensive line coach at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Apart from spending 2016 at the University of California, Davis, Haines has been with Cignetti ever since.
Haines previously signed a new contract last December. Then, Cignetti said “blue-blood” schools were aiming to hire Haines, so the latter signed another new deal last January.
Other schools again had interest in hiring Haines in this coaching cycle. And again, the Hoosiers put together a new contract Dec. 12 for the 40-year-old Haines, who’s been a Broyles Award finalist in both seasons in Bloomington.
“Bryant had some calls, had some people very seriously interested in him,” Cignetti said. “We thought it was important to be proactive.”
Cignetti has praised Haines for his role on the Hoosiers’ staff, explaining Oct. 27 he’s a “super key guy” in the program.
"He's a football guy,” Cignetti said. “His philosophy is to attack. He wants to attack offenses. So, the X and O part of it is his strength, but he's a great teacher. He's a great teacher for the linebackers, very detailed. And I can't say enough good things about Bryant Haines.”
Although it’s unclear if Shanahan has garnered interest elsewhere, the Hoosiers have also given him two new contracts in two seasons. He signed a new deal alongside eight other on-field assistants last December before finalizing a new three-year contract last week.
“We also wanted to lock Mike up, who's very deserving,” Cignetti said. “And I'm glad we did.”
Shanahan joined Cignetti’s staff as a wide receivers coach at IUP in 2016. He followed Cignetti to Elon University, then to James Madison University and ultimately to Indiana, where he also serves as the wide receivers coach.
"He's such a likable guy," Cignetti of Shanahan on Dec. 7. "He doesn't really have an ego. He does a great job coaching receivers. Has done a great job as coordinator."
The Hoosiers have become one of college football’s premier teams in their two seasons under Cignetti, attaining the No. 1 national ranking for the first time in program history this December.
Under Shanahan's guidance, the Cream and Crimson’s offense finished second in scoring last season and is fourth this season. Haines’ unit allowed the sixth-fewest points per game in 2024 and jumped to second this season.
The No. 1 Hoosiers are slated to face No. 9 Alabama in the Rose Bowl at 4 p.m. EST Jan. 1 in Pasadena, California. In addition to preparing for the Crimson Tide’s offense, Haines has another challenge: replacing injured senior defensive lineman Stephen Daley’s production.
“Bryant Haines does a great job coordinating our defense, and we have a lot of confidence in our players,” Cignetti said Monday. “And we'll find the best solution that gives us the best chance to be successful.”
And whenever their season ends, the rest of the Hoosiers’ staff will also contractually reap the benefits of another historic season.
“And at the end of the season,” Cignetti said, “we'll move on with the rest of staff.”
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames and jamesdm@iu.edu) and Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and columnist Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa and qmrichar@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana football season.
