Highest-paid college basketball coaches: Bill Self tops list after massive new deal with Kansas

There’s been a lot of shakeup in men’s college basketball during the offseason. It brings new coaches and new contracts, especially for the blue bloods.

The past two NCAA champions have been sure to lock down their guys heading into the 2023-24 season.

Kansas’s Bill Self signed a deal as the season began making him the highest-paid college coach by a landslide, surpassing Kentucky’s John Calipari, who previously held that title. UConn’s Dan Hurley inked an extension, as did Texas A&M’s Buzz Williams.

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Who else rounds out the list as the highest-paid coaches in NCAA basketball? Here’s what you need to know.

Who is the highest-paid coach in college basketball?

Self reclaims his crown as the top-grossing coach with the new “lifetime deal” announced by the school Nov. 7. He will earn $13 million for the upcoming season and $53 million over the next five years. It’s a massive deal, even for a coach in the Naismith Hall of Fame.

The Jayhawks’ leader is just one of nine men’s coaches all-time with over 700 wins. He has 773 victories, which includes two national championships, in 2008 and 2022. He led Kansas to 14 straight regular season Big 12 championships, which set an NCAA record. He’s been in Lawrence since 2003 and won National Coach of the Year four times. His .768 winning percentage is 15th-best ever.

The new contract was announced about about a month after the the NCAA closed its investigation into the program for infractions. Self and Kansas avoided serious penalties when the NCAA’s Independent Accountability Review Process closed the case on Oct. 11.

MORE: Can anyone challenge Kansas in transition year for Big 12?

Calipari, who was the highest-paid coach before Self’s new contract, still comfortably sits in second with an annual $8.5 million pay rate. He’s been with the Wildcats since 2009, winning his only national championship three years later. His contract is through 2028-29.

Top 10 highest-paid coaches in college basketball

Of the 10 highest-paid coaches, only three of their teams are not in the AP Top 25 rankings early in the 2023-24 season. Auburn and Virginia and UCLA are currently unranked, but have received votes in the poll after recent successful years.

The Tigers made it to the Final Four in 2022 before losing to the Cavaliers, who would take home the championship. Bruce Pearl was named SEC Coach of the Year in 2022 after winning the regular season conference title.

While Self if the only Big 12 coach on the top-10 list of highest-paid coaches, Calipari is one of five SEC coaches featured. Rick Barnes and Pearl round out the top-5, while Williams and Eric Musselman are tied at ninth with the same salary.

Hurley makes the list for this season after a new deal made in the summer in the summer. He led the Huskies to their fifth national championship and his first since taking over the program in 2018.

MORE: Dan Hurley contract details: How UConn coach’s new salary compares to Geno Auriemma’s

The Big Ten sees two coaches on the list with Tom Izzo and Brad Underwood. The ACC, which is normally college basketball’s powerhouse, is mentioned only once with Tony Bennett likely due to coaching changes at Duke and North Carolina within the past few seasons.

Here’s a full list of the top-earning college basketball coaches for the upcoming season. 

Rank Coach School 2023-24 Salary 1. Bill Self Kansas $13 million 2.  John Calipari Kentucky $8.5 million 3. Tom Izzo Michigan State $6.2 million 4. Rick Barnes Tennessee $5.77 million 5. Bruce Pearl Auburn $5.65 million 6. Dan Hurley UConn $5 million 7. Tony Bennett Virginia $4.8 million 8. Brad Underwood Illinois $4.7 million T9 Buzz Williams Texas A&M $4.2 million T9 Eric Musselman Arkansas $4.2 million

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