The Golden Age of Gators men’s basketball will remain through 2032.
Todd Golden signed a six-year contract with Florida Friday to keep him in Gainesville for the foreseeable future. The 41-year-old head coach hoisted the 2025 national championship trophy in just his third season with the program.
Golden will sit atop the coaching pinnacle of NCAA men’s basketball after becoming one of the highest-paid ring leaders in the country.
The former San Francisco head coach will now earn $8.25 million annually after bringing in $6 million in the 2025-26 season. Golden’s third contract extension in as many years comes just 15 months after his last, and will keep him with Florida for the long run.
Golden became the second-highest-paid basketball coach in the SEC, only trailing Arkansas’ John Calipari ($7.75 million). He sits behind Kansas’ Bill Self and UConn’s Dan Hurley as the top-paid head coaches in the country.
The contract also includes a clause that if athletic director Scott Stricklin departs Florida, Golden’s buyout reduces to $5 million from $16 million and $13 million over the next two seasons, respectively. Also, if Stricklin leaves, his NBA buyout is $0.
The deal is nearly fully guaranteed, and Florida would owe Golden 85% of the remaining value if he were fired without cause.
He became the youngest head coach to bring home a title since 37-year-old Jimmy Valvano in 1983 with N.C. State. Golden carries an overall record of 103-41 since landing in Gainesville and has since delivered in the postseason, outside of last year’s early exit.
Florida earned back-to-back No. 1 seeds in the 2025-26 NCAA Tournaments and earned its eighth Southeastern Conference title in program history — and the first since 2014.
The Gators lost in the second round of the 2026 tournament, but brought its premier talent for the upcoming season. Now, they have the coaching security of Golden remaining at the forefront of the program for the time being.
Contact Riley Orovitz at rorovitz@alligator.org. Follow her on X @rileyorovitz.
Riley is a sophomore sports journalism student in her second semester at The Alligator. She is the beat reporter for Gators Gymnastics and Swim & Dive while also contributing to the Gators Football Beat. She previously served in the same role in her first semester with the newspaper. Riley is an avid South Florida sports fan and enjoys playing/following all sports in her free time.
