When Curt Cignetti arrived ahead of the 2024 season, he brought belief with him. Indiana’s boosters didn’t need much convincing. That year delivered history with a first-ever playoff appearance and instantly changed how the program was viewed inside and out. Now, riding that momentum, major boosters like Taylor Caniff are doubling down, pouring even more money into Indiana football as the Hoosiers push to keep the rise going.

Taylor Caniff has quickly become one of Indiana football’s loudest and proudest backers. The Indiana-born internet personality and MAGCON co-founder revealed on X that he donated $321,257.50 last year. And after recent donor meetings at Indiana Memorial Stadium, he’s already promising to go even longer this time around.

It makes sense. Caniff may be just 28 and didn’t attend IU, but his love for the program runs deep. He grew up in Princeton, Indiana, constantly chanting “Go Indiana” and “Go Hoosiers,” and stays plugged into the local economy as a high-volume Airbnb host. The connection feels genuine, and the trust in the crimson and cream is clearly there. However, Caniff isn’t alone either.

Mark Cuban remains the program’s biggest heavyweight booster, making his first direct donation to IU athletics in late 2024 after meeting Curt Cignetti and seeing the early success firsthand. When Cignetti entered Bloomington, he used the transfer portal to bring in nearly 40 new players and 13 from his former team, James Madison. That momentum sparked a wave of belief across the donor base and especially after Indiana’s historic 2024 season.

It was an 11–2 run with a first-ever CFP appearance ending in a tough loss to Notre Dame. Athletic director Scott Dolson has said football success energizes the entire department, and the numbers back it up. Dolson noted that football generates around 90% of athletic revenue across the country, and winning games is the most effective way to grow those revenue streams.

And that’s why this season Indiana shattered ticket revenue records, clearing $13 million, with multiple sellouts at home. They’re steamrolling opponents, standing tall in the playoff picture. After Indiana’s Rose Bowl win on January 1, 2026, a contract clause triggered another market review. It likely sets up yet another raise to keep Cignetti among the top three highest-paid coaches in college football.

Indiana football’s newfound respect

For Indiana, a financial boost like this is essential if the program wants to stay dominant. The Hoosiers have never won a national championship, but they already snapped a 58-year Big Ten title drought, which made them look like a real national title threat this season. The money tells the story. Indiana has increased its football spending every single year since 2021, jumping from under $24 million to $61.6 million last year, per the Knight-Newhouse database. The 2024 season marked the first time since 2005 that IU spent above the Big Ten’s median on football.

Pam Whitten’s arrival as university president in 2021 aligns with the ramp-up, and it has paid off. Indiana now has an NIL war chest that can compete with the rest of the league. After last year’s CFP appearance, the Hoosiers didn’t get gutted by the portal. Instead, they kept most of their core and even made some pricey additions. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza, now a Heisman winner, reportedly earns $2 million, according to CBS Sports.

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Curt Cignetti often points out that IU has one of the largest alumni bases in the country. The biggest example? Mark Cuban. The 1981 Indiana grad had donated heavily to academics for years but never gave to athletics, until December 2024. That changed largely because of Cignetti. There’s even a defining moment: after Indiana’s loss to Notre Dame in the playoff, Cuban approached AD Scott Dolson with a message that made it clear that Indiana football had officially arrived.

“Scott, this is painful,” Cuban said, according to CBS Sports. “But isn’t it nice to not have to be thinking about whether or not you have to fire your coach for the first time in how many years?”