Todd Golden: Florida basketball coach receives 2-year extension with a raise

Florida basketball coach Todd Golden has agreed to terms on a two-year extension through 2030, sources confirmed to the Sun.

According to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, the deal will increase Golden's average annual salary from $3 million to more than $4 million per season. Golden entered the 2023-24 season with the Florida Gators at the third-lowest paid coach in the SEC, ahead of only LSU's Matt McMahon ($2.7 million) and South Carolina's Lamont Paris ($2.3 million).

The contract is pending approval from UF's compensation committee.

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Golden was hired from San Francisco before the start of the 2022-23 season to replace Mike White, who left UF to take over as head coach at Georgia. Florida will open SEC Tournament on Thursday night as the six seed against 11th-seed Georgia at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.

"There's a clear understanding of what we're playing for," Golden said. "We're trying to win a championship and it will take four really good days to do that."

Why is UF basketball coach Todd Golden receiving a raise?

Golden has led UF to a 21-10 record in his second season, UF's most regular-season wins since the 2017-18 season. The Gators are on the verge of reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021.

Golden and his staff did a superior job in transfer evaluations, adding All-SEC guard Walter Clayton (Iona), All-SEC guard Zyon Pullin (California-Riverside) and All-SEC forward Tyrese Samuel (Seton Hall) to the starting lineup. In addition, Florida did a solid under-the-radar job in high school recruiting, adding freshman All-SEC forward Alex Condon and forward Thomas Haugh. Both were three-star players coming out of high school and have been key contributors for UF, adding effort and toughness off the bench.

In year two under Golden, the Gators have played an exciting, up-tempo brand of basketball, ranking third in the SEC in scoring (84.9 ppg) and fourth in field goal percentage (.457). Fans took notice, as Florida recorded six sellouts this season, helping UF post a 14-1 home record, its best at the O'Connell Center since the 2013-14 season.

"It says a lot about this place, and the fact that we were able to get going a little bit and have some success," Golden said. "The city, the alums and everybody around the university got behind us."

Todd Golden's record as UF basketball coach

Golden is 37-27 in two seasons at Florida and 20-16 in SEC regular-season games.

Here's a year-by-year look at Golden's record:

• 2022-23: 16-17 (9-9)
• 2023-24: 21-10 (11-7)
• Overall: 37-27 (20-16)