Curt Cignetti’s coaching staff is replete with attractive targets to other programs with job openings around the country.
That’s one of the many reasons why Cignetti’s new contract signed a few weeks ago included terms to ensure his assistants were some of the best paid anywhere in college football.
But those measures will only go so far as several up-and-coming IU assistants look to capitalize on the staff’s recent success and earn well deserved promotions.
One, and most likely only one, is leaving after Indiana’s historic 11-1 season.
IU quarterbacks coach Tino Sunseri is expected to become the next offensive coordinator at UCLA.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel was the first to report arrangements are already in place regarding Sunseri’s availability to coach at Indiana through the College Football Playoff.
“Indiana quarterbacks coach Tino Sunseri has emerged as the target to replace Bieniemy, Thamel wrote on Thursday. “Sunseri will remain with the Hoosiers through the College Football Playoff,” he said, via sources.
The Daily Hoosier can confirm both that Sunseri is departing Indiana, and that he will coach IU through the CFP.
Sunseri has the title of co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Indiana. But he’s clearly been a rung below Mike Shanahan, who calls the plays from the press box and was earning around $260,000 more than Sunseri when The Daily Hoosier obtained contract information in January.
After the increased salary pool in Cignetti’s new contract, Sunseri was likely to get significantly more than the $540,000 salary from IU we reported upon his hiring. Meanwhile, UCLA was reportedly only paying outgoing OC Eric Bieniemy around $550,000 per year according to the LA Times.
So UCLA has likely made significant enhancements to their own assistant coach salary pool in order to lure someone like Sunseri.
But a move like this will be about more than salary for Sunseri, who will get a chance to be the play caller at a Big Ten program.
A Thursday report by Zach Osterman of the IndyStar indicated “IU’s nine remaining assistants, as well as head strength coach Derek Owings, have signed new multi-year contracts to remain at Indiana.” The Daily Hoosier can confirm this as well.
The new deals signed by coordinators Shanahan and Bryant Haines and rest of the staff should help to ensure Sunseri is the only loss this offseason.
Indiana doesn’t have a clear successor for the quarterbacks job. Shanahan coaches the wide receivers and the Hoosiers will likely look to bring in someone from the outside. Cignetti was a college quarterback and has always had heavy involvement in quarterback matters throughout his coaching career.
Sunseri’s success with IU quarterback Kurtis Rourke this season was just the latest of several impressive campaigns by the former Pitt quarterback.
Sunseri came to Indiana from James Madison where he worked under Cignetti.
Under his direction, the 2023 season saw Jordan McCloud earn Sun Belt Player of the Year after ranking No. 5 in passing touchdowns (32), No. 6 in points responsible for (242), No. 9 in passing efficiency (167.3), and No. 10 in total offense per game (309.2) in the FBS.
In 2022, Todd Centeio was voted Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player and Newcomer of the Year after throwing for 2,697 yards and 25 touchdowns with just five interceptions.
In 2021, Cole Johnson set the JMU single-season records for passing yards (3,779), passing touchdowns (41), and completions (287) in 2021 to finish No. 4 in the voting for the FCS Walter Payton Award.
Sunseri came to Harrisonburg after a two-and-a-half year stint on Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama, where he served as a graduate assistant, working primarily with the quarterbacks.
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