The college head coaching carousel has come to a stop \u2026 for now. But history says that\u2019s likely going to change. Below, we get into that, the impact of the NFL coaching carousel, Dan Mullen\u2019s decision to stay at UNLV and Marshall Faulk\u2019s unique contract at Southern. But first, some news around the College Football Playoff.<\/p>\n
Another raise already for Curt Cignetti<\/p>\n
Less than three months after Cignetti signed a new contract at Indiana that included a big raise, he has already earned himself another one.<\/p>\n
As reported in October<\/a>, Cignetti\u2019s new contract included a clause that states if the Hoosiers make a CFP semifinal during the contract, Indiana is required to make a good-faith review and negotiation of Cignetti\u2019s salary into the top three in college football, within 120 days of the game. If not, the buyout for Cignetti to leave Indiana would drop to zero. Now Indiana is in the Peach Bowl semifinal, so that clause has been triggered.<\/p>\n That new contract in October raised Cignetti\u2019s average annual salary to $11.6 million, putting him right around the top three \u2014 only behind Georgia\u2019s Kirby Smart ($13 million) and Ohio State\u2019s Ryan Day ($12.5 million) among 2025 salaries. But since then, Lane Kiffin went to LSU with a contract that pays him an average of $13 million, dropping Cignetti back outside the top three. (Cignetti\u2019s $93 million deal in total is also fully guaranteed if he\u2019s fired without cause.)<\/p>\n This type of clause has been used at least once before: Nick Saban had a clause at Alabama to remain among the top five highest-paid coaches. It turned out to be a shrewd move by Cignetti\u2019s representation. Wins over Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game and Alabama in the Rose Bowl have put the Hoosiers two wins from a national championship, a truly incredible run for a coach who was making $677,000 at James Madison three years ago.<\/p>\n Indiana\u2019s 38-3 Rose Bowl win drew more than 23 million viewers on ESPN, higher than four of the last five national championship games. The Hoosiers are the betting favorite to win it all, and fans are into the Indiana story. IU alum Mark Cuban hadn\u2019t donated to athletics until Cignetti was there, and he just cut another check, he told Front Office Sports<\/a>. What the coach has done in two years is remarkable.<\/p>\n Cignetti\u2019s contract is also relevant for our next topic.<\/p>\n How will the NFL coaching carousel impact college football?<\/p>\n The end of the NFL regular season has brought the annual slew of head coach firings<\/a>. As of Friday, the Dolphins, Browns, Cardinals, Falcons, Giants, Raiders, Ravens and Titans have openings.<\/p>\n Industry sources don\u2019t expect those NFL teams to hire a college coach in this cycle. Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman remains an NFL target<\/a>, but Freeman announced last week he is returning to the Fighting Irish. With a really good team coming back next year and a favorable schedule, the Irish will be expected to make the CFP and make a run, and Freeman\u2019s interest from the NFL isn\u2019t expected to waver. Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian pushed back against reporting in the fall that he was interested in the NFL<\/a>, but his interest has been talked about in industry circles for years.<\/p>\n What about Cignetti? ESPN\u2019s Peter Schrager said this week every NFL team with an opening should call Cignetti, and it became a debate topic across various shows. The Raiders have the No. 1 pick, meaning pairing Cignetti and quarterback Fernando Mendoza could be on the table.<\/p>\n However, Cignetti\u2019s buyout to leave Indiana in the next year is $15 million (presuming Indiana renegotiates his deal as mentioned above). That is a big cost. For some NFL teams, paying a college buyout is a non-starter, one coaching agent told The Athletic. The Raiders are already tens of millions in the hole for having fired head coach Pete Carroll and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly after one season. Additionally, Cignetti\u2019s new salary at Indiana would rank in the top 10 in the NFL. To hire Cignetti, an NFL team would probably have to commit more than $50 million.<\/p>\n That is also all under the assumption that the 64-year-old Cignetti would want to coach in the NFL, which we do not know. He has already said he plans to retire at Indiana.<\/p>\n Over the last 10 years, just three college head coaches have been hired to first-time NFL head coaching jobs. Urban Meyer didn\u2019t make it a full year with the Jaguars. Matt Rhule was fired in his third season with the Panthers. Kliff Kingsbury had an OK run with the Cardinals, but he got that job right after he was fired at Texas Tech in an unusual move up. (Jim Harbaugh had already been an NFL head coach before going to Michigan, then the Chargers.)<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve never talked to Curt about the NFL, I don\u2019t really know that he has interest in doing that,\u201d Saban said Wednesday on \u201cThe Pat McAfee Show.\u201d \u201cIt is a fairly difficult transition to go from college to the NFL if you\u2019ve never been in the NFL before. When I took the Dolphins job, I\u2019d been in the NFL for six years, so I understood it.\u201d<\/p>\n Several college coordinators are expected to leave for NFL jobs, as happens in most years. It\u2019s also possible that sitting head coaches could leave for NFL assistant jobs, as Jeff Hafley did by leaving Boston College for the Packers\u2019 defensive coordinator job and Scot Loeffler did by leaving Bowling Green for the Eagles in recent years. Hafley is now an NFL head coaching candidate. Which brings us to the next point.<\/p>\n Is the college head coaching carousel over?<\/p>\n College head coach openings typically fill up by late December, as was the case this year, but there are almost always later moves and surprises before kickoff of the next season. Just look at recent history.<\/p>\n 2024-25: All jobs were filled by Dec. 28. Then, Loeffler left Bowling Green<\/a> in February, Stanford fired Troy Taylor<\/a> in March, and Kent State fired Kenni Burns<\/a> in April.<\/p>\n