ESPN REPORT: Curt Cignetti Indiana Hoosiers Football Head Coach Stuns College Football World, Rejects Jaw-Dropping $9.5 Million OCC Offer from Kansas, Georgia to Remain with the Hoosiers; ‘I Have No Plans Beyond Being the Indiana Hoosiers Head Coach…’

 

In a stunning move that’s sent shockwaves through the college football world, Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti has reportedly turned down a monumental $9.5 million offer from the Overarching College Coalition (OCC), with strong ties to powerhouse programs at Kansas and Georgia. According to ESPN, the offer was designed to lure Cignetti into a top-tier offensive consulting and leadership role, but the veteran coach rejected it flatly—choosing loyalty to Bloomington over fortune and prestige.

 

Cignetti, who took over Indiana’s football program in 2024 and quickly began a culture overhaul, has earned respect nationwide for his strong leadership and transformative impact on the Hoosiers. Under his guidance, Indiana has shifted from Big Ten bottom-dwellers to a team with legitimate bowl aspirations and renewed fan support.

 

The $9.5 million proposal was part of an ambitious OCC initiative to unify elite football minds across select programs for the 2025 and 2026 seasons. ESPN insiders reported that Cignetti’s name was at the top of their wishlist, with Kansas and Georgia executives personally involved in talks to secure his expertise.

 

But Cignetti remained unmoved.

 

“I have no plans beyond being the Indiana Hoosiers head coach,” he told ESPN. “What we’re building here is special. I came here with a vision to make Indiana football matter, and I’m not walking away from that now—or ever—because of a paycheck.”

 

The decision has been hailed across social media and by analysts as a rare moment of coaching integrity in a sport increasingly dominated by massive contracts and career-hopping. ESPN’s Paul Finebaum called Cignetti’s choice “one of the boldest statements of loyalty college football has seen in the last decade.”

 

Players and fans alike responded with gratitude. Senior quarterback Marcus Green tweeted, “Coach C stayed with us. That’s our leader. Let’s ride.”

 

While the OCC will continue its efforts to form a national coaching brain trust, losing Cignetti is seen as a major blow. The group was said to be counting on his strategic insight and motivational leadership as a centerpiece of their multi-program innovation.

 

For now, though, Cignetti remains firmly at the helm in Bloomington—and Indiana football may be better off for it.

 

“The job’s not done,” he said. “We’re just getting started.”