Indiana football’s historic 11-1 season has brought national attention and a suspected trip to the College Football Playoff — but also the chance for head coach Curt Cignetti’s staff to be picked apart by other programs.
The Hoosiers lost their first domino Thursday, as Big Ten-foe UCLA hired Indiana quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri, an Indiana Athletics spokesman confirmed to the Indiana Daily Student. The Indianapolis Star first reported the news of Sunseri’s departure for UCLA.
Sunseri will stay with the Hoosiers through their College Football Playoff run.
And while Sunseri, who’s been a catalyst to Cignetti’s strong track record of developing quarterbacks, is a notable loss, his exit comes with positive news for the Hoosiers: he’s the only assistant leaving Bloomington.
Each of the Hoosiers’ nine other on-field assistants, along with strength and conditioning coach Derek Owings, have agreed to multi-year contracts. This includes offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan and defensive coordinator Bryant Haines, each of whom followed Cignetti from James Madison University last offseason.
Haines is a finalist for the Broyles Award, given annually to the nation’s top assistant coach. Shanahan has engineered college football’s second-best scoring offense, averaging 43.3 points per game.
Indiana has plenty of funds to fuel its new assistant contracts. Cignetti’s Nov. 16 contract extension included an $11 million salary pool for on-field staff and support members, the second-largest mark in the country.
The Hoosiers currently await their College Football Playoff fate. The 12-team bracket will be announced at noon Sunday on ESPN.
Follow reporters Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) and Dalton James (@DaltonMJames) and columnist Jhett Garrett (@jhettgarrett) for updates throughout the Indiana football season.
