Former University of North Florida men’s basketball coach Matthew Driscoll has more than doubled the base pay he would have received at UNF by going to Kansas State as the associate head coach under Jerome Tang, according to his contract with the university that the Florida Times-Union obtained via a request under the Kansas Open Records Act.
Driscoll, who coached the Ospreys for 16 years, signed a two-year extension with UNF on March 10, which was later approved and signed by athletic director Nick Morrow on April 3. It would have paid him $230,191 in base salary (a $15,000 raise), with another $25,000 for promotional and fundraising duties and $25,000 more for a talent fee in appearing on TV and radio shows for a total of $280,191 annually.
That figure is eclipsed by a base pay of $550,000 at Kansas State, which took effect on June 7. In addition, Driscoll has an $8,000 per year car allowance, a country club membership, and will receive a bonus as high as $50,000 if Kansas State wins the NCAA championship.
Driscoll can earn $2,500 if the Wildcats are invited to the NIT, $5,000 for an NIT championship, $5,000 for either a Big 12 regular-season or tournament championship, and $25,000 if K-State reaches the Final Four.
Under the contract extension he signed at UNF, Driscoll would have received two weeks’ pay for an NIT invitation ($8,853.50), two weeks for an ASUN divisional championship, four weeks for an ASUN regular season or conference tournament championship ($17,707) and another four weeks for reaching the NCAA Final Four.
UNF also built in bonuses for Driscoll if he was named conference or national coach of the year, and for reaching a team grade point average of 3.0 or higher.
Matthew Driscoll said he didn’t leave for more money
At a news conference on May 22 at UNF to announce his departure, Driscoll said of his departure for Kansas State, “Because I know God is calling me makes it easy to do the right thing.”
Driscoll maintains that he did not leave UNF after 16 years for money.
“Not at all,” he said on June 20 when asked if his salary at Kansas State was a factor in leaving Jacksonville. “I made $4,800 one year as a Division III coach, and I loved it. I made $36,000 at Wyoming, and I loved it. I’ve never made a move based on money. I had two opportunities to leave North Florida in the past for more money, and neither was the right scenario for me. The reason I came to K-State is because God told me, ‘it’s time for you to go.”’
Driscoll has a close relationship with Kansas State coach Jerome Tang. They were both on the staff at Baylor, and Driscoll is Godfather to Tang’s daughter.
Matthew Driscoll leads UNF, ASUN in victories
Driscoll compiled a record of 248-264 at UNF, the most at the school and the ASUN. His teams won three ASUN regular season championships and the 2015 ASUN Tournament title, which resulted in the school’s only NCAA Tournament bid.
He was replaced by assistant coach Bobby Kennen, who was the first member of the coaching staff Driscoll hired when he came to UNF from Baylor. Kennen made $110,000 per year as an assistant at UNF. His contract as head coach has not been finalized and is not yet subject to a Florida open records request made by the Times-Union.
Kennen, who played high school basketball at Ocala Forest and college basketball at Palm Beach Atlantic, is the UNF coach on an interim basis. Morrow said he will decide after the 2025-26 season whether to retain Kennen or open the job to other applicants.
“We are incredibly fortunate to have a high-caliber coach in Bobby Kennen,” Morrow said during the May 22 news conference. “For the past 16 years, he has been a vital part of the program’s success, and I have every confidence in his ability to lead us forward.”
Matthew Driscoll built teams around 3-point shot
Driscoll came to UNF in 2009 after NCAA Division I assistant coaching stints at Baylor, Clemson and Wyoming. The Ospreys went 13-18 in his first season, but he quickly established the “Birds to Trey” identity, with a fast-paced offense predicated on the 3-point shot.
The Ospreys led the ASUN in scoring average three times, in 3-point attempts per game seven times, and 3-point percentage four times
Driscoll also willingly played anyone, anywhere during the non-conference season. UNF played teams in the SEC, ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, and Pac-12 throughout his tenure, and pulled off the occasional upset.
Last year, UNF beat South Carolina and Georgia Tech on the road. They also have road victories against Purdue and Illinois.
His first game as the UNF coach was at Notre Dame. Under Driscoll, the Ospreys also played teams such as Florida, Florida State, Syracuse, UCLA, Gonzaga, Texas and Michigan State.
However, Driscoll had expressed frustration about recent changes in college basketball with the transfer portal and NIL.
UNF’s two leading scorers in the last two seasons, Chaz Lanier and Jasai Miles, left for Power Four programs, Lanier to Tennessee (where he led the Vols in scoring on their way to the Elite Eight) and Miles to Indiana.
Also going to Indiana is Josh Harris, a freshman who led UNF in rebounding.
UNF went 15-17 overall and 8-10 in the ASUN in Driscoll’s final season.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Matt Driscoll salary at Kansas State: Former North Florida coach pay
