Final Four Run Has DJ Burns, NC State Coaches Raking in Cash

As NC State goes on magical runs in both the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments, the Wolfpack are cashing in.

On Sunday, the third-seeded women’s team advanced to the Final Four for the first time in 26 years, and the 11th-seeded men punched its ticket to the semifinal for the first time in 41 years. The men’s team has now earned about $6 million in NCAA units for the ACC, which the conference will get to distribute to its members over the next six years.

Charismatic big man DJ Burns Jr., the South Region’s Most Outstanding Player whose play drew praise from NBA star Nikola Jokić, has capitalized on name, image, and likeness deals as his star has risen. Since the team’s postseason run began, Burns has signed deals with companies including Adidas, Raising Cane’s, and TurboTax, and he tripled his Instagram followers. The businessman already had NIL deals, his own clothing line, and a small vending machine business before the tournament began.

And his coaches are earning serious, long-term money. As their teams advance through the tournament, they’ve racked up bonuses and improved their already competitive salaries. This season, Wes Moore was already the second-highest-paid women’s coach among public schools in the ACC (the only schools for which contract data is publicly available), while Kevin Keatts was the fourth-highest-paid men’s coach in the same category.

Keatts has secured $300,000 in bonuses, a two-year contract extension, and a $500,000 raise starting next year. (Winning the ACC tournament for the first time since 1987 triggered the contract extension and most of the raise.) Based on how his team plays and gets ranked at the end of the season, he can add up to $350,000 in bonuses and $100,000 to his raise.

Moore has earned $150,000 in bonuses and a $150,000 raise starting next season. One more win would secure a $50,000 bonus with another win, and, for making it all, Moore would get another $100,000 bonus and a $150,000 raise.

Both teams will play No. 1 seeds this weekend. The women play South Carolina on Friday, and the men play Purdue on Saturday.