Indiana’s biggest win this offseason was retaining DC Bryant Haines, despite him being the hottest coaching candidate. His return to Bloomington not only ensured continuity in staff but also boosted his paycheck. Indiana’s HC Curt Cignetti opened up on how he got his defensive coordinator back for another year.

“I appreciate that Bryant recognizes that he’s got a really good situation here,” Cignetti said in a February 24 interview with ESPN. “He’s the head coach of the defense, and I try to create an office environment where these guys can get their work done and get out of here when they’re done. He’s a football guy. He doesn’t really have a burning desire to be a head football coach right now. He likes being the defensive coordinator.

We’re coming off a national championship run, and we’ve been really successful since he’s been the coordinator. So where else would you go collegiately? Is the NFL a dream one day? It could be. I got him another year. Fired up about that. He’s working hard.”

The Indiana defensive coordinator has been by Cignetti’s side since 2014, when he joined IUP as a defensive line coach on a $6,000 stipend. He was given the responsibility of coaching the linebackers at Elon. The promotion to a co-defensive coordinator role happened when the two moved to James Madison.

Haines’s impact was undeniable during Indiana’s 16-0 season, as he orchestrated a defense that ranked among the nation’s elite. The Hoosiers’ defense was a nightmare for opposing offenses, allowing the fewest first downs in the country (165) and the second-fewest points per game (10.85). Their aggressive front seven lived in the backfield, ranking first in tackles for loss (129) and second in sacks (46), a performance that earned Haines the Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant coach

Despite the Hoosiers having one of the best defensive units, Cignetti believes that Haines still has unfinished business. The head coach pointed out that they’re looking to improve at correcting missed assignments this past season. He made it clear how crucial continuation is and the importance of staying loyal to the program that gave them success.

“Just day in and day out doing things a little better,” Cignetti added. “Eliminate some of those missed assignments because usually when it breaks down, it’s because some guy did the wrong thing. Because you get better or you get worse; you never stay the same. It all starts with the coaches. But it’s all process-oriented… Keep staying true to the things that gave you a chance to be successful.”

It is always understood that coordinators want to be head coaches. But sometimes that is not what destiny has in mind. Both the Ohio State coordinators, Matt Patricia and Arthur Smith had failed stints as head coaches. They are now thriving as coordinators. But the perfect example for this is Kansas City Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo. In his career, he owns four Super Bowl rings (XLII, LIV, LVII and LVIII) as a defensive coordinator making him the only coordinator in NFL history to win four Super Bowls and sole coordinator to win a Super Bowl with two different franchises (Giants XLII, Chiefs LIV, LVII and LVIII).

His crowning achievement would be his 2007 Giants defense that beat the overwhelming favorite in Tom Brady’s Patriots, putting an end to their undefeated season. That’s not a bad career to have, considering his disastrous tenure with the St. Louis Rams when he was their head coach.

His first year ended up with a record of 1–15, the worst in the league and the worst season in franchise history. After a modest 7–9 in 2010, they regressed again to 2–14 in 2011, tied with the Indianapolis Colts for the worst record in the league. Spagnuolo was then fired on January 2, 2012, after a 10–38 overall record in his three seasons, the second-lowest winning percentage for a non-interim coach in franchise history. This is not to say that Haines will have a similar fate. But rather not every successful coordinator should aim to become a head coach one day.

Bryant Haines’ return got him a massive pay raise

Given the high demand for Bryant Haines at other schools and his value as an asset to the Hoosiers’ defense, Indiana offered him a massive pay raise. According to the latest contract, Haines will receive more than $3 million per year. This makes him one of the highest-paid assistant coaches in college football.

This is almost $1 million more than his previous contract. Haines reportedly earned $2.1 million for the 2025 season, based on the contract signed when arriving in Bloomington, along with Cignetti from JMU. More than the hefty paycheck, Haynes recognized that he’s in the sweetest position.

“One of these days I might explore that option (of being a head coach),” Haines said earlier this month on The Zone. “I love defense. I love Xs and Os. I love the board. I love film. When you put that head coach set on, things change, and I don’t want to get pulled away from what I’m passionate about.”

With Haines and Cignetti working to improve the team, which has already led to a perfect 16-0 season, curiosity grows about what Indiana can do next season.