Florida coach Todd Golden agrees to a 2-year extension that includes a $1M raise, AP source says

Florida head coach Todd Golden talks to a referee about a missed call during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against South Carolina Saturday, March 2, 2024, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Artie Walker Jr.)

By MARK LONG AP Sports Writer

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida basketball coach Todd Golden has agreed to a two-year contract extension that includes a $1 million raise, a person familiar with negotiations said Thursday.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the financial details still need to be approved by the university’s compensation committee. The additional two years keep Golden under contract through 2030.

Golden signed a six-year, $18 million contract in 2022 and made $3 million this season; his salary ranked 12th out of 14 coaches in the Southeastern Conference. His new deal will top $4 million annually, the person said.

The Gators (21-10, 11-7 SEC) are the No. 6 seed in the ongoing league tournament in Nashville, Tennessee, and play Georgia on Thursday night. Golden is 37-27 in two seasons in Gainesville and has Florida on the cusp of its first NCAA Tournament appearance in three years.

Golden is 94-63 overall in five seasons, including three at San Francisco.

Under his direction, Florida has its highest-scoring team in program history and ranks seventh nationally. The Gators sold out the O’Connell Center for several games, a clear indication of how the fans feel about Golden and his up-tempo style of basketball.

Golden overhauled Florida’s roster before Year 2 mostly through the transfer portal, adding first-team All-SEC point guard Zyon Pullin (UC Riverside) along with leading scorer Walter Clayton Jr. (Iona) and big men Tyrese Samuel (Seton Hall) and Micah Handlogten (Marshall).

Golden also found success on the recruiting trail with promising forwards Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh. Condon was named to the league’s all-freshman team.

Pullin is on pace to post the SEC’s best assist-to-turnover ratio (4.38 to 1) in history, and Clayton (17 ppg) is locked into one of the top-25 scoring seasons in program history while hitting at least three 3-pointers in 12 of 18 conference games.

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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll