Curt Cignetti: Indiana’s Title-Winning Roster Cost Well Under $40M

Curt Cignetti’s national title-winning roster didn’t cost as much as his peers think it did. 

The Indiana coach pushed back on Alabama general manager Courtney Morgan’s recent comments to Front Office Sports on how much the game’s top programs are spending.

“You really don’t know what other people are really doing,” Morgan told FOS. “You kind of do the math in your own head by monitoring what other schools in the competition are doing, probably more than $40 million.”

Morgan’s comments led an X account called ‘Indy Sports’ to reply that it was “almost certain Indiana did not pay $40 million to win a National Championship,” to which Cignetti responded, “Correct. Not even close.”

Cignetti went a step further on Wednesday while appearing on On3’s ‘Andy and Ari.’ 

“What I will tell you honestly is our final number was closer to $15 million than $40 million,” Cignetti said. “Now obviously, it was somewhere in between.” 

Indiana blew out Morgan’s Alabama team 38–3 in January’s Rose Bowl route to its first title. For context, Ohio State’s 2024 national championship roster reportedly cost $20 million, but spending has exploded as schools have been permitted to share revenue with players. Texas reportedly spent around the $40 million that Morgan estimated on its roster last year, and there have been rumors of 2026 rosters costing $60 million or more. 

Cignetti has turned Indiana into a powerhouse in just two seasons by identifying talent, regardless of the level the players come from. He brought 13 players to Bloomington from his previous stop, Sun Belt school James Madison.

He hasn’t done it without financial support, though.

Mark Cuban, an IU graduate worth roughly $6 billion, has given money to the athletic department the past two seasons as a result of Cignetti’s success. 

“Already committed for this portal,” Cuban wrote to FOS in a January email. “Let’s just say they are happier this year than last year.”