College Basketball Coach Salary: Who’s Earning Big?
Having a college basketball team can often be one of the most profitable things a school can do. It brings in ticket sales and advertising revenue, making money in many different ways. The better your team is, the more money you can get, which means you will need a good coach. But that isn’t cheap, with college basketball coach salaries constantly growing.
However, if you want a good program to bring in that extra money, you must deal with some exuberant coaching salaries. Before NIL deals, it made sense to pay coaches large salaries because they were the stars of the show. They brought in the recruits, and after the top players left, the coaches remained to bring in the next star player.
Despite that, some coaching salaries are still considerable. Here is a list of the highest-paid college basketball salaries as of the 2024-25 season.
10 College Basketball Coaches With the Biggest Salaries
1. Bill Self, Kansas, $9.6 Million
We recently had a new leader of the highest college basketball coach salary: Bill Self. Before the 2023-24 season started, Self signed a lifetime contract with Kansas, with the first five years paying him $53 million. That quickly moved him to the top of this list, having already been in the top five.
Self has been with Kansas since 2003, more than paying his dues to the program. He has also brought a lot back to Kansas, in two National Championships in 2008 and 2022. Kansas has also been great in the Big 12, leading the conference 16 times in wins, with eight conference tournament titles.
2. John Calipari, Arkansas, $7 Million
For a long time, John Calipari’s salary at Kentucky was the highest in the country before Self signed his new deal last season. That seemed well deserved, as Calipari was one of the top college basketball coaches in the country from 2009 to 2024. He won one National Championship in 2012 but reached the Final Four four times. He was also the Naismith College Coach of the Year and AP College Coach of the Year in 2015.
However, after a few disappointing seasons, to Calipari’s and Kentucky’s standards, he left the school. It did not take long for an SEC rival, Arkansas, to step in and sign Calipari. John Calipari signed a deal worth $7 million a year for five years, a little less than his $8.5 million salary with Kentucky.
3. Tom Izzo, Michigan State, $6.2 Million
Even though Michigan State basketball has fallen off a little in recent years, Tom Izzo remains one of the best coaches in the nation. That has led to him having one of the highest D1 college basketball coach salaries at $6.2 million annually.
The last time Izzo signed a new contract was in 2022. He signed on to be the head coach at Michigan State for five more years, with a contract valued at $31 million. Izzo has been coaching the Spartans since 1995, which makes him the longest-tenured D1 active coach. He won only one National Championship in 2000 but has been to the Final Four eight times.
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4. Bruce Pearl, Auburn, $5.7 Million
Pearl might be the first name on this list that could be considered in an article for underpaid and overpaid coaches, but not for a good reason. Bruce Pearl is one of the highest-paid coaches in the nation for Auburn in the SEC. He signed his contract in 2022, an eight-year extension worth $50.2 million.
However, the first three names on this list have all had massive accomplishments. Pearl has only reached the Final Four once. Auburn is an improving program every year, and he won SEC Coach of the Year in 2022.
5. Rick Barnes, Tennessee, $5.7 Million
Rick Barnes is another NCAA basketball coach salary that might be too large compared to his accolades. However, he has been a top coach since 1988, and his experience is a reason for the size of his contract, which is $5.7 million a year at Tennessee.
However, despite winning the Naismith Coach of the Year award in 2019, Tennessee has yet to have much major success under Barnes. His one Final Four appearance was in 2003 while he was coaching Texas.
6. Scott Drew, Baylor, $5.1 Million
Scott Drew is an interesting case because he has been at Baylor since 2003, making him one of the longest-tenured head coaches, along with Self, but his success outside of one season has been limited. In 2021, Baylor won the National Championship but has yet to make any other Final Four appearances under Drew.
Still, Drew’s longevity and that one National Championship are worth his hefty salary. From 2020 to 2022, he was the Big 12 Coach of the Year for three straight seasons, which helped him become one of the highest-paid college basketball coaches.
7. Dan Hurley, UConn, $5 Million
In all honesty, Dan Hurley might deserve to be the highest college basketball coach in the nation and will soon be rising up this list. After the 2023-24 season, when he won his second straight National Championship, Hurley signed a six-year extension for $50 million after declining to coach the Los Angeles Lakers. But until that extension is in effect, Hurley will make $5 million in the 2024-25 season.
The last two seasons for UConn have cemented Hurley as one of the top coaches in March Madness history. Hurley led his team through two tournaments, dominating every opponent, rightly earning his new contract.
8. Brad Underwood, Illinois, $4.7 Million
After going from the most successful coaches in college basketball, we go to one a little less so. Brad Underwood was hired by Illinois in 2017, and the program has yet to see that much success without a Big Ten tournament win or a Final Four appearance.
Still, Underwood is near the top in terms of basketball coach pay. That might be surprising, considering his lack of success, but Illinois has faith in him.
9. Kelvin Sampson, Houston, $4.6 Million
Compared to Underwood, Kelvin Sampson has accomplished much more, and maybe in a smaller program. Sampson has been at Houston since 2014, where he led the team to one Final Four appearance in 2021, the second of his career, after making it with Oklahoma in 2002.
In addition, Houston has been one of the top teams in the nation, having the best record in four AAC and one Big 12 regular season since Sampson took over. He even was the AP Coach of the Year in 2024, more than justifying his salary.
10. Nate Oats, Alabama, $4.5 Million
Finally, the last name on this list is Nate Oats from Alabama. Oats is a recent hire at Alabama, only coming in charge of the team in 2019, which was his first big coaching opportunity. Since then, he has made the most of it, turning a predominantly football school into a basketball powerhouse, reaching the Final Four in 2024.
That has led to Oats having one of the best coaches impact odds. Alabama has been known as THE football program, but things are evolving on the basketball side under Oats.
Questions of the Day
How much do college basketball coaches make?
It varies based on the conference, experience, and success, but a good coach in a big conference could make over $1 million a year.
Who is the highest-paid college basketball coach?
Bill Self from Kansas is the highest-paid college basketball coach going into the 2024-25 season.
How much does John Calipari make in a year?
John Calipari now makes $7 million a year while with Arkansas, the second-highest in the nation.
