Todd Golden is coming off the best season of his coaching career, specifically after the past month and a half in winning his first-ever titles with ones in the SEC Tournament and NCAA Tournament. That’s now led to an extension for him for the work he’s done so far at Florida.
Golden has agreed to a new six-year contract extension with the Gators per national reports, including GatorsOnline having confirmed that new deal. Florida has since announced it themselves with Golden signing the six-year deal, worth $40.5 million in total at around $6.75 million a season, that’ll keep him as head coach there through 2031.
“Todd has done an incredible job getting Florida men’s basketball back where it belongs,” said AD Scott Stricklin in the program’s release this morning. “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.”
“My family and I are grateful to be a part of Gator Nation and for the opportunity to lead this great program three years ago,” Golden said in it as well. “As we’ve shown during our time in Gainesville, the University of Florida is an institution that has the resources, support, and people in place to compete and win national championships. I am so appreciative of each and every player and staff member who have been critical to the success we’ve experienced here. My family and I look forward to our future here at UF and to the continued success of our men’s basketball program.”
Golden had hinted this was in the works three weeks ago during the celebration they had at the football team’s spring game the weekend after winning the national title. Stricklin has now made that official with Golden set to remain in Gainesville going into the next decade on a salary that’s almost double what he made this last season.
Golden just finished his third season at Florida with their record improving in every year of his tenure so far. He is 76-33 (.697) with the Gators, in bettering that mark from 16-17 to 24-12 and then to 36-4, since 2022, which brings his overall record to 133-69 (.658) when including his three years at San Francisco as well.
’24-’25 is then clearly the best finish in the young career of Golden. Florida went 36-4 (.900) for the second-best record, by win percentage, in school history while finishing second in an all-time edition of the SEC with a 14-4 record in conference play. The Gators would close on a dozen-game win streak in winning the SEC Tournament in Nashville before winning the NCAA Tournament a month ago over with victories over fellow top seeds in No. 1 Auburn and No. 1 Houston during the Final Four in the Alamodome. In winning the third national title for Florida, Golden became the seventh active head coach with a championship on his resumé. He’s also the eight-youngest head coach to win one and the youngest to do so in over four decades.
Now, following this extension, Golden has work to do now to rework next season’s roster for his fourth year there. Florida has lost or could lose seven of their top eight players from their championship season with Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin, and Will Richard out of eligibility, Denzel Aberdeen and Sam Alexis choosing to transfer, and Alex Condon and Reuben Chinyelu potentially leaving as well in testing for the NBA Draft. The Gators have brought back Thomas Haugh, though, while bringing in a pair of top transfer guards and a top-ten recruiting class.
Golden has done as good of a job as any coach over the past three seasons with his quick turnaround of the program at Florida. The Gators are now paying him as such with tomorrow being one month to the day that he and their team won it all.