With Bill Self Breaching $53 Million ‘Ceiling’, Who Are the Highest Paid NCAA Coaches?

The NCAA has produced some of the legendary coaching careers over the years. These individuals have created their own legacies by achieving glory with their respective teams. Apart from being the best in what they do, these coaches are also among the richest. Their talent and skills have earned them huge contracts which are further extended after evaluating their contributions.

Recently, the Kansas Jayhawks head coach scripted his name in the headlines by becoming the highest-paid coach in the NCAA. However, he is not the only one making so much money being a coach in college basketball.

The elite list of college basketball coaches

There is a long list when it comes to huge flourishing contracts in the NCAA. One of the popular faces in college basketball, Eric Musselman receives an annual income of $4 million from Arkansas. Above him is UCLA’s boss Mick Cronin and Illinois’s Brand Underwood receiving around $4.1 million each. Texas A&M has retained Buzz Williams as its head coach for over a decade now. He recently extended his contract for 2 years for $4.2 million per annum.

Next in line is Virginia’s national champion coach Tony Bennett earning $4.15 million. Bruce Pearl has been a part of Auburn since 2014 and as a result, makes $5.4 million per year. Additionally, his contract includes an annual increment of $250,000. With 779 wins to his name, Tennessee pays Rick Barnes $5.7 million to further improve his .657 career winning percentage.

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This elite list of copious coaches is incomplete without these three names who headline the top picks.

The top 3 featuring Bill Self

Legendary coach Tom Izzo is among the top 3 in this list. His lifetime contract states that he’ll receive an annual income of $6.2 million from Michigan State. Former highest-paid coach John Calipari fills the second spot receiving $8.5 million this year. He is expected to get a raise and reach $9 million soon. Saving the best for the last is the Kansas Jayhawks rockstar coach Bill Self.

Having a career-winning percentage of .768, Bill’s career as a head coach for Kansas has extended beyond two decades. His latest deal with the Jayhawks allows him to earn $13.7 million this season. He will be earning a whopping $53 million in his next 5 years. He has overtaken John Calipari who had an income of $44 million. Bill Self’s base pay for this season will be $11 million along with the professional services and various royalties. This also includes a deferred income of $7.2 million which was slashed during Covid. Moreover, the compensation salary for the 2023-24 season amounts to $13 million. In addition to this, Self will also receive a retention bonus of $5 million if he provides his services to the Jayhawks for the next five years.

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Not only the players, but the coaches in the NCAA as well make huge amounts of money throughout their career. These lucrative figures are proof about the legit boss of a franchise. As far as they can match their performance with their price tag, everyone stays happy.