It’s no secret that there’s a lot of money floating around college sports, especially in college football and college basketball.
A lot of that money is related to coaches’ salaries, with a minimum of 12 men’s basketball coaches making at least $5 million a year. And sometimes, a college football or basketball coach is the highest-paid public employee in their respective states.
Thanks to USA TODAY Sports’ detailed salary database of men’s college basketball coaches’ salaries, we know how much most college hoops coaches are making this season — and who has an eight-figure buyout. (Obtaining this information from private schools is trickier because they’re not obligated to report salary data.)
So here’s a look at the top-25 highest-paid men’s college basketball coaches in 2025, according to USA TODAY Sports’ database of salaries.
25. Greg Gard, Wisconsin
Total pay: $3,875,375
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24. Grant McCasland, Texas Tech
Total pay: $3,900,000
23. Dana Altman, Oregon
Total pay: $4,007,000
22. Kevin Willard, Maryland
Total pay: $4,100,000
21. Dennis Gates, Missouri
Total pay: $4,100,000
20. Jamie Dixon, TCU
Total pay: $4,106,441
19. Mike Woodson, Indiana
Total pay: $4,200,000
18. Chris Jans, Mississippi State
Total pay: $4,200,000
17. Buzz Williams, Texas A&M
Total pay: $4,600,000
16. Kelvin Sampson, Houston
Total pay: $4,604,000
15. Fred Hoiberg, Nebraska
Total pay: $4,750,000
14. Brad Underwood, Illinois
Total pay: $4,800,000
13. Matt Painter, Purdue
Total pay: $4,850,000
12. Chris Beard, Ole Miss
Total pay: $5,000,000
11. Mark Pope, Kentucky
Total pay: $5,000,000
10. Nate Oats, Alabama
Total pay: $5,018,045
9. Tommy Lloyd, Arizona
Total pay: $5,250,000
8. Scott Drew, Baylor
Total pay: $5,410,061
7. Rick Barnes, Tennessee
Total pay: $5,800,000
6. Bruce Pearl, Auburn
Total pay: $5,958,852
5. Mick Cronin, UCLA
Total pay: $6,100,000
4. Tom Izzo, Michigan State
Total pay: $6,196,879
3. Dan Hurley, UConn
Total pay: $7,775,000
2. John Calipari, Arkansas
Total pay: $8,000,000
1. Bill Self, Kansas
Total pay: $8,803,800
