5 highest-paid men's basketball coaches in 2024 ft. Dan Hurley
The 2024-25 college basketball season is just weeks away and each NCAA Division I team is fine-tuning its plays for the official start in November. The coaches have strengthened their lineups through the transfer portal and high school recruitment and are getting themselves pumped up for the regular season.
These coaches are paid enormous amounts of money by the schools that hired them to win the national championship, and for the last two seasons, the UConn Huskies have been earning what they are paying for their coach, Dan Hurley.
The $5-million-a-year bench tactician (ranked No. 7 in salary in the 2023-24 season) has guided UConn to back-to-back championships, with wins over San Diego State and Purdue in the 2023 and 2024 national championships.
The back-to-back titles motivated UConn to extend Hurley to a six-year contract in July. The deal has moved him to third place in the highest-paid list among college basketball coaches, edging Michigan State's Tom Izzo and Bruce Pearl of Auburn.
Hurley's pay scale, however, pales in comparison to the two legendary coaches at the top of the charts. With this in mind, here are the five highest-paid coaches in NCAA Division I men's basketball per USA Today and other media.
5 highest-paid men's basketball coaches in 2024
#5. Bruce Pearl, Auburn
Bruce Pearl was only $16,652 ahead of No. 6 Rick Barnes of Tennessee when the 2023-24 list was released. Pearl, who is in his 11th season with Auburn, earned $5,716,652 this past season and is expected to rise by at least $250,000 in the 2024-25 season (per USA Today).
In his 10 seasons with Auburn, Pearl is 214-119 and guided the Tigers to five NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Final Four appearance in the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
#4. Tom Izzo, Michigan State
Tom Izzo is set to earn at least $6.2 million this year based on the contract extension he signed in 2022. The 69-year-old coach, who will be on the Spartans sidelines for the 30th season, is 707-295 (343-170 in NCAA Tournaments) with one national championship won in the 2000 Tournament.
He had been to eight Final Fours and won 10 Big Ten regular season championships.
#3. Dan Hurley, UConn
Dan Hurley could have gone to Hollywood and coached LeBron James, his son Bronny, and Anthony Davis on the Los Angeles Lakers for a reported six-year, $70-million deal. But glitter and gold be damned as Hurley declined the offer in favor of a six-year contract extension that would pay him at least $6.775 million beginning in 2024-25.
The breakdown is a $400,000 base salary and $6.375 million worth of additional compensation for speaking, consulting, and media (per The Athletic). Hurley will also earn a $1 million bonus if he stays with the Huskies for the succeeding years.
#2. John Calipari, Arkansas
John Calipari was second on the list last season, earning $8,539,961 with Kentucky. He parted ways with the Wildcats following a first-round exit in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
His job hunting didn't last long, though, with Arkansas signing the 65-year-old former NCAA champion to a five-year deal that would pay him at least $7 million (per Arkansas Online).
Part of Calipari's deal is a $1 million signing bonus and an annual retention bonus of $500,000. If he guides the Razorbacks to the national championship, he could earn an additional $1.25 million.
#1. Bill Self, Kansas
Bill Self earned $9,625,412 from a school pay of $9,453,800 and miscellaneous pay of $171,842. Per CBS Sports, Self's current contract, which could be bought out for $23.1 million, is a five-year deal that will earn him about $53 million.
He is a two-time NCAA champion coach with an overall record of 806-243 (52-22 in Division I Tournaments). Kansas, however, has been disappointing over the past two seasons, only reaching the Round of 32 on both occasions.
Does Bill Self deserve the salary he is earning at Kansas? Let us know your insights in the comments section.