Swampcast talks Florida softball, Florida basketball, transfer season
The Sun’s Kevin Brockway and Noah Ram discuss transfers in Florida basketball, football and UF’s softball showdown vs. Oklahoma with Ryan Aber of The Oklahoman.
The contract makes Golden the fourth-highest paid coach in college basketball, and second-highest in the SEC.Golden led the Gators to a 36-4 record and the program’s third national title in the 2024-25 season.This is Golden’s third season coaching the Gators, boasting a 76-33 overall record at Florida.
Florida basketball coach Todd Golden has been rewarded for leading UF to its third national title in school history.
UF announced on May 6th that it has agreed to a six-year, $40.5 million contract with Golden through March 31, 2031.
The extension nearly doubles Golden compensation and at an average annual salary of $6.75 million, makes the Florida Gators coach the fourth-highest paid coach in college basketball and second-highest paid coach in the SEC (behind Arkansas coach John Calipari, who makes $8 million per season).
Per the USA Today salary database, Bill Self at Kansas is the highest-paid coach in college basketball at $8.803,000, followed by Calipari, UConn’s Dan Hurley ($7.75 million) and now, Golden.
“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. “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 led Florida to its third national title in school history and first since 2007, guiding the Gators to a 36-4 record in his third season. Florida won its first 13 games to start the 2024-25 season and closed the season on a 12-game win streak.
At 39, Golden is the youngest coach to lead a team to a national championship since the late Jim Valvano led North Carolina State to a national championship at North Carolina State in 1983.
“Todd has done an incredible job getting Florida men’s basketball back where it belongs,” Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin said. “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.”
Overall, Golden has gone 76-33 in three seasons at Florida, also leading UF to an NCAA Tournament trip in 2024 and an SEC Tournament title in 2025.
Buyout, bonus information on Florida basketball coach Todd Golden’s contract
The buyout for Golden’s contact reduces from $16 million before April 15, 2026, to $11 million before March 31, 2027, $4 million before March 31, 2028, $3 million before March 31, 2029, $2 million before March 31, 2030 and $1 million before March 31, 2031.
If Golden were to leave for the NBA team, his buyout would reduce from $3 million on April 15, 2026, to $2 million through March 31, 2028, to $1 million through March 31, 2029 to $0 after that date.
Bonuses in Golden’s contact include $100,000 for winning the SEC regular season championship, $50,000 for winning the SEC Tournament championship, $100,000 for an NCAA Tournament appearance and $50,000 for each NCAA Tournament win.
There’s also an academic achievement bonus of $100,000 for a single-year team APR of 965 or higher, $75,000 for a single-year team APR of 950 or higher and $50,000 for a single-year team APR of 940 or higher.
Todd Golden’s impact on Florida basketball
Beyond the wins and losses, Golden has brought an entertaining up-tempo style of basketball to the O’Connell Center. In 2023-24, Golden’s second season at UF, the Gators averaged 85.6 points per game, becoming the highest scoring team in program history. This past season, Florida averaged 84.8 points per game and was held under 70 points just twice in 40 games.
Under Golden, senior point guard Walter Clayton Jr. developed into UF’s first first-team All-American in program history and a projected first round draft pick in this June’s NBA Draft.
Golden and his staff’s analytical approach in recruiting and player development led to landing Clayton (Iona), Will Richard (Belmont) and Alijah Martin (Florida Atlantic) from the transfer portal. In addition, Golden and his staff have found hidden gems in recruiting both in domestically (sophomore forward Thomas Haugh) and overseas (All-SEC forward Alex Condon from Australia).
(This story was updated to add new information.)
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1