BLOOMINGTON — Indiana football defensive coordinator Bryant Haines has agreed to a more lucrative deal than the one detailed in the memorandum of understanding he signed in December, according to source with knowledge of the situation.
Haines had previously signed a MOU worth $1.8 million annually over three years, but the terms have improved on the heels of high-profile defensive coordinator openings at Notre Dame and Ohio State. He was also linked to the defensive coordinator opening at Penn State after IU’s former coach Tom Allen left the school for Clemson.
The exact financial details haven’t been released, but the department also changed the buyout structure Haines had previously agreed to. The buyout outlined in the MOU from December required him to pay 50% of his total annual compensation to the school if he left the university for a new job in the first year of his deal and decreased over the length of the contract.
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Haines, who was the first assistant in program history to make more than $1 million a year, helped IU reach the College Football Playoff. The Hoosiers had No. 2 defense in the country (256.3 yards per game allowed) and ranked No. 6 scoring defense (15.6 points per game allowed).
Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti hired Haines to be IU-Pennsylvania’s defensive line coach in 2014-15.
Outside a brief stint with UC Davis in 2016, Haines has been with Cignetti ever since. He earned the co-defensive coordinator title when Cignetti was hired by James Madison in ahead of the 2019 season and took over play-calling responsibilities in 2022.
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In each of his four seasons at JMU, the Dukes had a top 10 defense.
The two have very like-minded approaches and Cignetti has repeatedly praised Haines’ defensive philosophy that centers around being “aggressive at all levels.” The Hoosiers had 35 sacks (tied for No. 26 in the country) and 95 tackles for loss (No. 16).
It was the first time Indiana had more than 30 sacks in a single season since 2017.
“We play with that edge ― fast, physical, tough, run to the ball, swarm the ball, pressure the quarterback,” Cignetti said, in December. “Just like every defense I’ve had since really I went to JMU in ’19, and that’s when that philosophy of being disruptive up front was put in place and a premium put on those front guys and linebackers.”
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Haines was a finalist for the Broyles Award given out to the nation’s top assistant this year after being named a semifinalist in 2023. He previously worked at IU as a grad assistant in 2012 under then-coach Kevin Wilson.
“The culture feels a little bit different this time than last time,” Haines said, after Friday’s practice. “Not to say it had a losing feel to it, but I don’t know if the program was ready to take off. I don’t feel that way anymore. I don’t feel that way anymore. I feel like something special could happen.”
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana football defensive coordinator Bryant Haines gets new deal
