Top 10 highest paid coach in men’s college basketball for 2025-26 season feat. Dan Hurley, John Calipari and more

Fans and teams are already gearing up for the 2025-26 college basketball season. Several coaches have inked new deals or received bonuses, and Elite College Basketball is keeping fans updated on the sport's highest-paid coaches via Instagram.

On Monday, Elite College Basketball shared 247Sports' list of the top ten highest-paid coaches in college basketball for the 2025-26 season. From seasoned star coaches to recent national title winners to coaches coming off of their first year with a program, this list has it all. Here's a look at the highest-paid college basketball coaches.

Top 10 highest paid coach in men’s college basketball for 2025-26 season

No. 1. Bill Self, Kansas: $8,803,800

It shouldn't come as a surprise that Bill Self tops this list. The veteran head coach is coming off his 22nd season leading the Jayhawks. In that time, Self has guided the team to 17 Big 12 regular-season titles, nine Big 12 tournament championships and two national championship titles in 2008 and 2022.

Along the way, Self has won AP Coach of the Year twice and Big 12 Coach of the Year six times. He signed a lifetime contract with Kansas in 2021, and the University announced an amended five-year rolling contract in 2023 that made Coach Self the highest-paid coach in the sport.

No. 2. John Calipari, Arkansas: $8,000,000

Despite just coming off of his first season at Arkansas, John Calipari comes in as the second-highest-paid coach in college basketball. He has head-coaching experience dating back to 1988 and became a coaching legend in his 15 seasons at Kentucky, during which he led the Wildcats to six SEC Tournament titles, four Final Four appearances, and a 2012 national championship.

Calipari shocked the basketball world when he left Kentucky to become the head coach at Arkansas last fall. In his first season with the Razorbacks, he led his squad to the Sweet 16. Upon his arrival in Arkansas, Calipari was signed to a five-year deal with a base salary of $7 million. It included a $1 million signing bonus and an annual $500,000 retention bonus.

No. 3. Dan Hurley, UConn: $7,750,000

Dan Hurley made history when he led the Huskies to two consecutive titles in 2023 and 2024, making them the first team to win back-to-back national championships since Florida did so in 2006 and 2007.

Following the second championship, Hurley signed a new six-year contract with UConn. The base pay of the contract is $400,000 with a $1 million retention bonus for each year of the contract.

The Huskies came up short this past season, receiving a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament and falling in the second round, but Hurley remains one of the highest-paid coaches in college basketball.

No. 4. Tom Izzo, Michigan State: $6,196,879

Tom Izzo has spent 30 seasons with the Spartans and shows no signs of slowing down. The legendary head coach has led Michigan State to eleven Big Ten regular-season titles, six Big Ten Tournament championships, eight Final Four appearances and the 2000 NCAA Tournament title.

Izzo has four Big Ten Coach of the Year awards, including one from this past season, making him the oldest head coach to ever receive the honor. He renewed his contract with the Spartans in 2022, when he signed a five-year deal worth roughly $6.2 million per season.

No. 5. Mick Cronin, UCLA: $6,100,000

Mick Cronin has completed the third year of a six-year contract extension with UCLA. He first took over for the Bruins in the 2019-2020 season and has led the team to four NCAA Tournament appearances, including the 2021 Final Four.

UCLA won the Pac-12 regular-season championship in 2023, and Cronin was awarded his second Pac-12 Coach of the Year award that season. Coach Cronin's current contract includes an annual salary of $4.1 million, with up to $250,000 a year for running camps and clinics. There are also bonuses for postseason appearances and wins.

No. 6. Todd Golden, Florida, $6,000,000

In just his third season at Florida, Todd Golden led the Gators to their first national title in nearly two decades. Golden found immense success at Florida this season and, as a result, received a top-dollar contract extension.

This season, the Gators won their first SEC Tournament title since 2014 and their first national championship since going back-to-back in 2006 and 2007. Coach Golden agreed to a six-year, $40.5 million contract.

No. 7. Bruce Pearl, Auburn: $5,933,852

Coach Bruce Pearl is coming off an impressive season and has spent the past 11 years coaching at Auburn. The Tigers were the regular-season champions in a dominant SEC this season and received a top seed in March Madness. Pearl led his team to the Final Four, a feat he also achieved in 2019.

Under Pearl's guidance, Auburn has won three SEC regular season championships, two conference tournament titles, and six NCAA Tournament appearances.

Coach Pearl signed a contract extension with the Tigers in 2022 and is three seasons into an eight-year deal. The contract pays the coach $5.4 million annually, increasing by $250,000 each year.

No. 8. Rick Barnes, Tennessee: $5,800,000

Coach Rick Barnes has led Tennessee to back-to-back Elite Eight appearances. After coaching stints at George Mason, Providence, Clemson and Texas, Barnes came to Tennessee in 2015 and has spent the past decade leading the Vols.

Tennessee has found success under Coach Barnes, who has led the team to seven NCAA Tournament appearances, two SEC regular-season championships and a 2022 SEC Tournament title. He was named SEC Coach of the Year in 2018 and Naismith Coach of the Year in 2019.

Ahead of the 2023-24 season, Rick Barnes' contract was extended through the 2027-28 season. Coach Barnes made $5.7 million that season with raises each year.

No. 9. Scott Drew, Baylor: $5,410,061

Scott Drew has been at Baylor for 22 seasons and is one of the highest-paid head coaches in college basketball. The veteran head coach led the Bears to the first national championship in program history in 2021 and back-to-back regular season Big 12 titles in 2021 and 2022.

There were rumors that Coach Drew would leave to coach Kentucky when Calipari left, but he remained in Waco. Details of his contract are not shared by Baylor, but he will reportedly make about $5.4 million this coming season.

No. 10. Tommy Lloyd, Arizona: $5,250,000

Coach Tommy Lloyd just received a contract extension this offseason that will keep him at Arizona through the 2029-30 season. Lloyd has led the Wildcats to NCAA Tournament appearances in all four seasons as head coach and was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year in his first season at Arizona.

Over Coach Lloyd's brief tenure thus far, the Wildcats have won two Pac-12 regular-season championships, two Pac-12 Tournament titles and have made three Sweet 16 appearances.

This April, Arizona and Tommy Lloyd agreed to a contract extension that bumps his pay to $4.4 million for each of the first two years of his five-year deal.