Todd Golden, Florida agree to $40.5 million contract extension after Gators’ NCAA Tournament championship

Fresh off leading Florida to 36 wins and a national championship, the Gators have handed coach Todd Golden a fresh six-year contract that will make him one of the top five highest-paid coaches in the country. Golden’s new deal stretches to 2031. He will earn $40.5 million over the next six years, the school announced Tuesday.

Golden, now 39, was the youngest head coach to win the national championship since NC State’s Jim Valvano in 1983. 

“Todd has done an incredible job getting Florida men’s basketball back where it belongs,” Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin said in a release announcing the contract. “We believed in his vision, his competitive nature and his modern approach to the game back in 2022, and he has validated that belief in a relatively short time and helped create memories of a lifetime for another generation of Gator fans.”  

How the Gators were built was also a historic feat. Florida was the first team in the internet era to win a National Championship without a top-100 recruit on the roster. Golden and the Florida staff was revered for its player development and roster-building. Iona transfer Walter Clayton Jr. turned into a First Team All-American. Even without major recruiting pedigree, Florida helped turn its entire starting five into NBA Draft prospects. Clayton, Alijah Martin, Will Richard, Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu were all invited to next week’s NBA Draft Combine. 

Golden has amassed a 76-33 record at Florida through three seasons, but it has not come without controversy. Golden was cleared in January after an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment, sexual exploitation and stalking.

Florida’s Title IX office dropped the case, and the Gators won the national title exactly 10 weeks later. And a month later, almost to the day, Golden’s new contract was announced. 

According to USA Today’s database of coaching salaries, Golden’s annual salary of $6.75 million next season will place him behind only Kansas’ Bill Self, Arkansas’ John Calipari and UConn’s Danny Hurley.