'I'm a control freak.' Why Curt Cignetti takes control of GM duties as Indiana football coach

Indianapolis Star

23-07-2025

LAS VEGAS — Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti looked genuinely puzzled at Big Ten media days Tuesday when he was asked about how the program was determining the amount each player gets from revenue-sharing.
"I decide that," Cignetti said, "I'm the GM and head coach."
Indiana's athletic department started directly paying student-athletes on July 1 as part of the House vs. NCAA settlement. The football program will receive 70-75% of the $20.5 million the Hoosiers are allowed to share with athletes as outlined in the court settlement.
It essentially creates a salary cap for all Power Four collegiate programs, and many of teams have adopted an NFL-like model with a general manager to help with roster management.
Cignetti didn't sound like he's in a hurry to upend a decades-long approach that he's relied on to reach the Big Ten with him on top of the organizational chart.
"I'm a control freak," Cignetti said. "I'm organized, I'm good with numbers. My name is on this. I spent a lot of years getting to this point, I'm the best one to do it."
Cignetti told reporters it's not a heavy lift thanks to the autonomy he gives his longtime coordinators Mike Shanahan and Bryant Haines. Cignetti doesn't call plays and isn't in every offensive and defensive team meeting throughout the offseason.
He also benefits from the athletic department's support that handles much of the backend work on contracts that a dedicated GM might also be responsible for.
"We got the right set up," IU athletic director Scott Dolson said in March. "The set up we have in our department, we have the mechanics of creating contracts and balancing those contracts with NIL deals. The set up is good as anybody."
Cignetti also shot down the possibility of revenue-sharing upsetting IU's team chemistry thanks to the potential financial disparity among players as it seeks a second straight CFP berth.
"I think word gets around what everyone is making, but I haven't seen that affect the team dynamic up to this point," Cignetti said. "I think at the end of the day, everyone wants to be as good as possible. We recruit a certain kind of guy, then my job is to get everyone to buy into our team goals."
It's why Cignetti stressed the need for players to ignore all the "clutter" on social media throughout the offseason.
"They know what the goals are and why they are here," Cignetti said. "They know what's accepted and expected, tolerated and not tolerated if they want to be on the team."