University of Connecticut men's basketball coach Dan Hurley signed a new contract Monday that will keep him in Storrs hrough the 2029-30 season and place him No. 3 among his peers in terms of compensation.
Hurley, winner of the 2024 Naismith Coach of the Year after leading the Huskies to their second consecutive NCAA championship, made headlines flast month when he entertained the idea of becoming head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, a job that would have paid him $70 million over six years, as reported by USA TODAY.
His new UConn contract will pay Hurley $50 million over six years, with an annual base salary of $400,000, placing him behind only Bill Self of Kansas and John Calipari of Arkansas on USA TODAY's list of top men's basketball coaches' compensation at public colleges and universities. During Hurley's first six seasons at UConn, the Huskies have won 141 of their 199 games.
"It's an honor to coach basketball at UConn and to represent this world class institution and the great state of Connecticut," Hurley said in a statement. "We are extremely proud of the championship program that we have rebuilt for our supporters and fans. We will continue to obsessively pursue championships and historic success, while continuing to develop great young men. Bleed Blue!"
Based on USA TODAY Sports' annual databases of football and men's basketball coaching contracts, Hurley's new contract with UConn is one of the largest single-year increases to recurring annual total compensation given to an incumbent coach.
Hurley will receive a retention bonus of $1 million every Nov. 15, and his compensation for speaking, consulting and media obligations for the 2024-25 season will be $6.375 million. That figure will increase each year to $7.45 million by the end of the contract, USA TODAY's John Leuzzi reported.
Contract incentives include:
- Big East Regular Season Champions (solo or shared): $50,000
- Big East Tournament Champions: $50,000
- NCAA Sweet 16 Appearance: $50,000
- NCAA Elite Eight Appearance: $125,000
- NCAA Final Four Appearance: $250,000
- NCAA National Championship Appearance: $500,000
If Hurley were to leave UConn for another Division I school midcontract, his buyout figures stand as follows:
- May 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025: $6 million
- April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026: $4 million
- April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027: $3 million
- April 1, 2027 to March 31, 2028: $2 million
- April 1, 2028 to March 31, 2029: $1 million
- April 1, 2029 to April 30, 2030: $0
"On behalf of UConn Nation, we are thrilled that Coach Hurley will continue to lead the Men's Basketball program for the foreseeable future," UConn director of athletics David Benedict said in a statement. "Dan and (his wife) Andrea have poured themselves into the rebuilding of this program that culminated in the last two National Championships.
"This contract is recognition for the immense amount of effort that went into producing those results and the dedication it will require to sustain a program that expects to compete for conference and national championships in the future."
