The 2023-24 men’s college basketball season ended up being a bonus bonanza for a pair of coaches who already were among the sport’s highest-paid.
Connecticut’s Dan Hurley is set for at least $1.8 million in bonuses after leading the Huskies to their second consecutive NCAA championship, and Tennessee’s Rick Barnes will get at least $1.6 million for the Volunteers winning the Southeastern Conference regular season title, advancing to the NCAA’s Tournament Elite Eight and then finishing No. 5 in Tuesday’s final Associated Press media poll.
Both totals easily exceed the top single-season amount previously recorded by USA TODAY Sports for a public-school basketball coach. That was Virginia coach Tony Bennett’s $1.25 million for the 2018-19 season, when the Cavaliers won the NCAA championship. USA TODAY Sports has collected information about bonuses paid to basketball coaches, beginning with amounts gained in the 2016-17 season.
Hurley and Barnes could get additional bonuses, depending on their respective teams’ academic performance. Barnes’ basic pay from Tennessee for this season is $5.7 million. Hurley’s from UConn is $5 million. That placed both among the top seven in USA TODAY’s annual men’s basketball coaches’ compensation survey for this season.
The top-paid head coaches in college football generally have more lucrative pay and bonus arrangements than those of their men’s basketball counterparts. However, Hurley’s and Barnes’ bonus totals for this season are comparable to the top single-season bonus amounts recorded by any public-school football coach except Jim Harbaugh, formerly of Michigan. Harbaugh picked up at least $2.2 million in each of his final three seasons with the Wolverines.
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Barnes’ total was not set until Tuesday’s AP poll was published. His contract includes one bonus that is based on where the team lands in the final version of those rankings. Based on the Vols’ season, it seemed clear they would finish in the top 10 — but Barnes gets $200,000 if the final ranking is No. 10 through No. 6, or $400,000 if it’s at least No. 5. Tennessee finished fifth, by a comfortable margin over No. 6 Illinois. (Tennessee also was No. 5 in the final USA TODAY Sports coaches poll, which also was released Tuesday.)
Beyond the bonus totals, North Carolina State’s Kevin Keatts ended up with top incentives. His team’s stunning Atlantic Coast Conference tournament title and advance to the NCAA’s Final Four will give him an automatic two-year contract extension and a $500,000 pay increase, beginning next season. Taken together, those awards will add at least $8.8 million in Keatts' future scheduled contract value.
For good measure, the Wolfpack was No. 10 in the final AP poll — a ranking that gave Keatts a $100,000 bonus and increased his total for the season to $400,000.
That’s $50,000 more than he would have received if the team’s best ranking in either final poll had been No. 11 through No. 25. (And, N.C. State was No. 13 in the final USA TODAY Coaches poll.)
Below is an itemized, school-by-school list for all public-school coaches whose teams advanced to the Sweet 16 of the tournament, alphabetical by school.
In addition to those, there are 14 coaches with bonus totals ranging from $65,000 to the $270,000 achieved by Colorado's Tad Boyle.
The list does not take into account contingencies that could alter or prevent payment of bonuses, such as academic achievement by players, the coach's departure from the school, future investigations and/or sanctions related to rules violations. It also does not include bonuses for national coach-of-the-year honors not yet announced, team academic performance (except as noted), attendance, season-ticket sales, or the value of tickets or perks tied to tournament participation.
This also does not include bonuses and/or pay increases for assistant coaches, staff and athletics directors that also may be resulting from these achievements.
Amounts for coaches at private schools are not available because those institutions are not required to release their employment contracts.
►$50,000: NCAA tournament bid
►$25,000: NCAA round of 32 appearance
►$25,000: NCAA round of 16 appearance
►$25,000: NCAA round of 8 appearance
►$25,000: NCAA Final Four appearance
►$20,000: 20 to 24 regular season wins
►$50,000: Pac-12 Conference regular title
►$25,000: NCAA round of 32 appearance
►$50,000: NCAA round of 16 appearance
►$20,000: No. 15 through 11 in final USA TODAY Coaches Poll or Associated Press media poll (No. 12 Coaches, No. 11 AP)
►$100,000: NCAA tournament bid
►$50,000: NCAA round of 32 appearance
►$50,000: NCAA round of 16 appearance
►$75,000: NCAA round of 8 appearance
►$100,000: Big East regular season title
►$50,000: Big East coach of the year
►$100,000: Big East tournament title
►$50,000: NCAA tournament bid
►$50,000: NCAA round of 32 appearance
►$100,000: NCAA round of 16 appearance
►$200,000: NCAA round of 8 appearance
►$200,000: NCAA Final Four appearance
►$100,000: Naismith national coach of the year
►$200,000: NCAA title game appearance
►$500,000: Win NCAA title
►$150,000: No. 10 through No. 1 in final USA TODAY Coaches Poll or Associated Press media poll
►$50,000: National coach of the year by U.S. Basketball Writers Association
►$100,000: NCAA round of 16 appearance
►$15,000: Win over Missouri
►$15,000: Win over Indiana
►$15,000: At least 10 wins in Big Ten regular season play
►$15,000: At least 20 regular season wins overall
►$50,000: Big Ten tournament title
►One-year contract extension; $50,000 bonus this season: NCAA tournament bid (Agreement now set to run through April 30, 2030. Scheduled total pay for that season is $5.3 million, with all of that amount currently guaranteed.)
►$25,000: NCAA round of 32 appearance
►$50,000: NCAA round of 16 appearance
►$75,000: NCAA round of 8 appearance
►$100,000: No. 2 seed in Big 12 tournament
►$100,000: Big 12 tournament title and NCAA tournament bid
►$50,000: NCAA round of 32 appearance
►$50,000: NCAA round of 16 appearance
►$50,000: ACC regular season title
►$25,000: ACC coach of the year
►$100,000: NCAA tournament bid
►$100,000: NCAA round of 32 appearance
►$75,000: NCAA round of 16 appearance
►Two-year contract extension; $400,000 raise, beginning next season; $100,000 bonus this season: ACC tournament title
►$25,000: NCAA tournament bid (round of 64)
►$25,000: NCAA round of 32 appearance
►$50,000: NCAA round of 16 appearance
►$50,000: NCAA round of 8 appearance
►Additional $100,000 raise, beginning next season; $50,000 bonus this season: NCAA Final Four appearance (Agreement now set to run through April 15, 2030. Additional years, plus $500,000 raise combine to add at least $8.8 million to contract’s remaining value, with at least $3 million of that amount guaranteed.)
►$100,000: No. 10 through No. 1 in final USA TODAY Coaches Poll or Associated Press media poll (No. 10 in AP, No. 13 in Coaches)
►$94,896: Big Ten Conference regular season title
►$47,448: Big Ten co-coach of the year
►$23,724: NCAA tournament bid
►$23,724: NCAA round of 32 appearance
►$23,724: NCAA round of 16 appearance
►$47,448 plus an amount to be determined by the university’s president in consultation with the athletics director, but no less than $94,896: NCAA round of 8 appearance
►$47,448: NCAA Final Four appearance
►$47,448: NCAA title game appearance
*Does not include $100,000 that Painter can get based on combination of team winning the Big Ten Conference regular-season standings and advancing to the NCAA Tournament Final Four if, in addition, the team’s grade-point average for this academic year meets certain standards.
►$25,000: NCAA tournament bid
►$10,000: NCAA round of 32 appearance
►$10,000: NCAA round of 16 appearance
►$10,000: No. 25 through 11 in final USA TODAY Coaches Poll or Associated Press media poll (No. 18 Coaches, No. 17 AP)
►$400,000: SEC regular season title
►$200,000: NCAA tournament bid
►$200,000: NCAA round of 32 appearance
►$200,000: NCAA round of 16 appearance
►$200,000: NCAA round of 8 appearance
►$400,000: No. 5 through No. 1 in final Associated Press media poll (No. 5)
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