Indiana AD Scott Dolson Proactive in New Contract Discussions With Curt Cignetti

On the Inside Indiana Basketball radio show Monday night, athletic director Scott Dolson mentioned the importance of Indiana beginning contract talks with football coach Curt Cignetti, rather than reacting to offers from other schools.

Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson with football coach Curt Cignetti and IU president Pamela Whitten at Cignetti's introductory press conference. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson received a big applause from fans when Don Fischer welcomed him on Monday night's Inside Indiana Basketball radio show.

Indiana recently agreed to a new contract with football coach Curt Cignetti, who has led the Hoosiers to their first-10 win season in program history in his first season.

Cignetti's new contract includes eight years and an average annual compensation of $8 million, plus an annual $1 million retention bonus. That potentially keeps him in Bloomington through the 2032 season and roughly doubles the annual compensation he agreed to in his first contract with Indiana.

Monday's radio show began with basketball conversation between Fischer and assistant coach Brian Walsh, who was filling in for head coach Mike Woodson. Fischer said Woodson was on a recruiting trip and could not attend the show. They discussed No. 16 Indiana's 87-71 win over South Carolina on Saturday, the big-picture outlook on the season, and the upcoming game against UNC-Greensboro on Thursday.

But discussions about the football team and Cignetti's new contract took over the later stages of the show, when Dolson took the mic. Perhaps rare in Bloomington, football may be a bigger story than basketball in mid-November, especially with Saturday's game at No. 2 Ohio State up next.

Fischer asked Dolson to share some background information on how Cignetti's new contract came about, which elicited a lengthy and insightful response from Indiana's athletic director.

"Going back to when we first hired coach Cig, I remember saying to him, I said, we want to continue to invest in the program," Dolson said. "I think that was a big reason why he came. He knew that we just didn't want to hire him, give him the keys to the program and move on. So as the season started to unfold – I think it was after game five, maybe game six – I remember thinking, I actually had a update meeting with president [Pam] Whitten, and I remember thinking I don't want [Cignetti] to start thinking are we going to come to him about a contract? Or just because we were doing so well, getting so much attention. I said to him, we were going to continue to invest in football."

"So in my catch-up meeting with president [Pam] Whitten, I made a recommendation to her that we be proactive, that he's doing such a great job, certainly we're in it for the long haul, why don't we get ahead of this? And she wholeheartedly accepted that recommendation. And I should say this – and I'm not saying this because she's my boss, I promise you this – she's been incredibly supportive, back to when we made the change last year, just in the whole process. We wouldn't be here today. She probably hasn't gotten the attention she deserves, in terms of just in her support for the program and for our vision for Indiana football."

"But based on that, after letting her know my recommendation, she accepted, and I had my meeting with coach Cig. I said to him, I know the last thing you want to think about right now is your contract. He's worried about our next opponent. But I said, I want to get out in front of it, because I don't want you to worry, does your agent have to shop you around? How are we gonna do this? I said it's really important to us that we're not just being reactive to someone coming after you. We know your value, and we know where you are in the Big Ten, and we want you to feel that. It was important to me that he didn't feel that we were just doing it because of somebody else. We were doing it because of what he means to us and our investment in the program."

"So he was great, and we talked about what's important moving forward for the program, that's it's definitely not all about him. He wants to make certain from a staff perspective, obviously from a player perspective, that we're investing in all areas that are important to make this a sustainable vision for the program. That's why he's there. That's why we're in this together. So we started a conversation with his agent subsequently after that meeting. His agent was terrific, and we ended up with a deal last week. And like I said, great process, and I know he feels not only our support for him and [his wife] Manette and his family and how much we've embraced them here at IU, but more importantly, just the way we've embraced the vision for the program and we're partnering with him on that and we're excited."

Dolson highlighted the importance of NIL support to keeping Cignetti around. He credited Indiana's official NIL collectives, Hoosiers For Good and Hoosiers Connect, saying Cignetti wouldn't be at Indiana if it weren't for the support from the university, fans and collectives. He called Indiana football a "sleeping giant" and that the support needs to continue.

At times, Dolson said, he's been so focused on the process that people have asked him if he's enjoying Indiana's 10-0 season, which has the Hoosiers in a favorable position to reach the College Football Playoff.

Of course he is, but he doesn't want it to stop any time soon. His proactivity was key in securing Cignetti's new contract with Indiana, and that approach will continue to be important as he tries to sustain the football team's historic season for years to come.

"I don't want it to be a one-hit wonder," Dolson said. "So I'm a little paranoid about thinking about what we need to continue to do. ... We want this to be the new standard of Indiana football. That's what we're building."

Related stories on Indiana football

• CIGNETTI EXPLAINS DECISION TO SIGN NEW CONTRACT: Curt Cignetti knew other schools would be interested in hiring him after a 10-0 start at Indiana, but he decided to sign a new contract to stay in Bloomington through the 2032 season. CLICK HERE

• WHAT CIGNETTI SAID: Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti spoke to the media on Monday ahead of Saturday's game at Ohio State. CLICK HERE

• CIGNETTI AGREES TO NEW CONTRACT: Curt Cignetti’s new contract includes an average annual compensation of $8 million and an extension through the 2032 season. CLICK HERE

• INDIANA CFP SCENARIOS: What is the road ahead for the Hoosiers and the College Football Playoff? CLICK HERE.