The Indiana Hoosiers handed first-year head coach Curt Cignetti a massive contract extension on Saturday morning. Cignetti’s new deal spans eight years with an average annual value of $8 million with an additional annual $1 million retention bonus.
It’s hard to argue that Cignetti hasn’t earned the extension. The Hoosiers are 10-0 for the first time in program history and look like legitimate College Football Playoff contenders. A year ago, Indiana went 3-9 under head coach Tom Allen and looked like one of the worst jobs in all of college football.
However, that doesn’t mean the new deal doesn’t come with risk. Yes, the Hoosiers are 10-0. Yes, they look like a very good football team. But Indiana has played one of the worst schedules in the country among Power 5 times and looked a bit shoddy a week ago against the Michigan Wolverines.
The Hoosiers are also a senior-laden team that pulled a large amount of their talent from the transfer portal. They were fortunate to hit on just about every transfer, with players like quarterback Kurtis Rourke fitting in seamlessly. It’s fair to ask whether what Cignetti and Indiana are doing this year is sustainable.
You know who else built a one-year wonder through the transfer portal? Since-fired former Michigan State coach Mel Tucker. Now, in the interest of full disclosure, Tucker was fired followed a sexual harassment scandal that has absolutely no relation to Cigneti.
But Tucker built an 11-2 Spartans team in 2021 that wowed the college football world. Much of that team was built through the transfer portal and the roster was laden with veteran players. The following season, Tucker and Michigan State went 5-7.
And that’s not the only parallel. We’ve similar quick turnarounds for Sonny Dykes at TCU and Mike Norvell at Florida State. Dykes the Horned Frogs to the national championship game in 2022 and is just 10-10 since. Norvell went 13-1 with the Seminoles a year ago and is now 1-9 this season.
The transfer portal allows coaches to build a competitive roster in a matter of a single offseason. But it’s proven to be an unsustainable way to build a program long-term.
Maybe Cignetti can maintain this level of success. He’s succeeded at every stop he’s made as a head coach, and even if he falls off a big he still likely raises the floor for Indiana’s program. But his big new deal undoubtedly comes with an element of risk that seems to have gotten overloojed.
The post Curt Cignetti’s Indiana Contract Extension Draws Worrisome Parallels To Since-Fired Head Coach appeared first on BroBible.
Curt Cignetti’s Indiana Contract Extension Draws Worrisome Parallels To Since-Fired Head Coach
Pinoy Human Rights
0 Comments