Curt Cignetti boasted staff continuity when he first took over at the helm of Indiana football ahead of 2024. Not only was he bringing both his offensive and defensive coordinators with him from James Madison University, but they’d been alongside him for a combined 17 seasons.
Now, Cignetti has ensured both will remain on staff in 2026, as offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan has agreed to a new three-year deal with the Hoosiers on Thursday, according to The Herald-Times' Michael Niziolek.
Shanahan followed Cignetti from James Madison University to Bloomington in 2023 and originally made $800,000 in his first season with the Hoosiers.
When Cignetti signed a new contract in November 2024, his assistant’s salary pool jumped to $11 million. In turn, Cignetti signed Shanahan to a new multi-year contract last December alongside eight other on-field assistants, giving him a $1.15 million salary.
Now, Shanahan — who's engineered one of college football’s premier offenses — will remain with Indiana for 2026. Shanahan’s new contract comes less than a week after defensive coordinator Bryant Haines agreed to a new deal with the Hoosiers that makes him one of the highest-paid assistants nationally.
When Shanahan first arrived at Indiana, he worked with co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tino Sunseri, who left for UCLA after last season. Cignetti then hired Atlanta Falcons’ pass game specialist Chandler Whitmer to fill Sunseri’s role.
Indiana’s offense finished second nationally in scoring last season with 41.3 points per game. Through 13 games this season, the Hoosiers sit fourth at 41.9 points per contest.
Shanahan’s new contract means he’ll be in Bloomington next season for his 11th campaign under Cignetti. He joined Cignetti’s staff in 2016 at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He followed him to Elon University and James Madison University, where he took over as offensive coordinator and the play-caller in 2021.
The Hoosiers await either the No. 8 University of Oklahoma or the No. 9 University of Alabama in the Rose Bowl at 4 p.m. EST Jan. 1 in Pasadena, California.
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.
