Todd Golden, the head basketball coach for the Florida Gators, has signed a new six-year contract with the university, which is valued at approximately $49.5 million. This contract, announced by the University of Florida, positions Golden as the highest-paid head coach in the history of Florida men's basketball.
The contract will begin with a salary of $7.5 million for the 2026-27 season and will increase to $9 million by the 2031-32 season.
The new agreement also revises the terms of Golden's buyout should he choose to leave Florida for an NBA position or another college job. If he departs for the NBA, the buyout will be $3 million until March 31, 2027, decreasing to $2 million for the following two seasons and dropping to $1 million from April 1, 2029, to March 31, 2030.
After that date, the NBA buyout will be eliminated entirely.
For a move to another college program, Golden's buyout starts at $16 million for the 2026-27 season and decreases over the life of the contract, reaching $1 million by the final season. Notably, if Scott Stricklin is no longer the athletic director, the buyout terms would be significantly reduced.
Golden's contract renewal marks the third extension in three years, following a successful tenure where he led the Gators to the SEC Tournament Championship Game in 2024, won the tournament and a national championship in 2025, and secured an SEC regular season title in 2026.
