One month after the Florida Gators cut down the nets as NCAA basketball champions, the university rewarded head coach Todd Golden with a contract extension. The deal is worth $40.5 million over six years, keeping Golden in Gainesville through the 2031 season.
Why did Golden receive a contract extension?
On April 7, the Gators came back from a 12-point second-half deficit to beat Houston 65-63. The Gators entered the tournament with a No. 1 seed as SEC champions. At 37 years old, Golden became the youngest head coach to win the title since the legendary Jim Valvano did it in 1983.
Golden has a 76-33 career record at Florida, including a 36-4 mark in 2024-25. He and his team were honored during the Gators’ spring football game on April 12. After the ceremony, he talked about his love for the community.
“My family and I love being here,” said Golden. “Obviously, it was a big change for us coming from the West Coast, not knowing a lot of people here. But in three short years, we’ve been able to meet a lot of great people and get comfortable. Florida’s a place that we can win national championships, as we just proved.”
Analytics has been a key to Golden’s success
Golden may have also proved that leaning on analytics to run a program can work, much the way baseball general manager Billy Beane did in 2002 with the Oakland A’s –– the team that inspired the book and movie, “Moneyball.”
However, stats and shooting percentages are just a part of the equation for Golden and his staff. They use data-driven decision-making in almost every aspect of their program: from recruiting to health and wellness to in-game decisions, like when to sub players and even when to foul. Before the Final Four began, he was asked why he leans on those statistics.
“We try to run and operate our program like it’s a business,” Golden said. “We hire staffing to do different roles, we recruit players to assume different roles, and in a game that is changing dramatically by the year, I think it’s as important now more than ever to be on the cutting edge of, you know, just kind of having an analytical mindset in the way you approach what you do on a day-to-day basis.”
What about the recent sexual harassment investigation?
But it hasn’t all been roses for the former Saint Mary’s College player. During this past season, the university wrapped up a four-month investigation into allegations against Golden of sexual harassment and cyberstalking by multiple women. In January, Florida announced that investigators found no evidence of wrongdoing by Golden and the allegations were dismissed.
Golden’s new deal averages $6.75 million per year and makes him one of the top five highest-paid coaches in the country. If he were to leave for an NBA head coaching job, he would have to pay a buyout that starts at $3 million and drops by $1 million annually.
