As one of just nine coaches in men’s college basketball history with 700-plus wins and multiple national championships, Kansas coach Bill Self (above) is in the upper echelons of the sport’s elite.
Now, he has a salary to match.
Kansas amended Self’s lifetime contract with the school to be a five-year rolling contract—with the first iteration of it paying him a reported $53 million over five years.
When he won his second national title in 2022, the 60-year-old was making $10.2 million, but due to the contract structure, his pay dropped to $8.8 million.
With the new deal, Self reclaims the title of the nation’s highest-paid men’s college basketball coach after Arkansas’ John Calipari briefly supplanted him.
Michigan State’s Tom Izzo, Auburn’s Bruce Pearl, and Tennessee’s Rick Barnes round out the top five, all making over $6 million a season.
Highest-paid College basketball Coaches of 2025
Here are the top 25 highest-paid coaches in men’s college basketball, using data from USA Today based on the 2024-25 season but taking into account coaching changes, compensation data, and the latest information.
- Updated: March 20th, 2025
- Will be updated again: May 2025
| Rank | Coach | School | Total Pay | Conf. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bill Self | Kansas | $8,803,800 | Big 12 |
| 2 | John Calipari | Arkansas | $8,000,000 | SEC |
| 3 | Dan Hurley | UConn | $7,775,000 | Big East |
| 4 | Tom Izzo | Michigan St | $6,196,879 | Big Ten |
| 5 | Mick Cronin | UCLA | $6,100,000 | Big Ten |
| 6 | Bruce Pearl | Auburn | $5,958,852 | SEC |
| 7 | Rick Barnes | Tennessee | $5,800,000 | SEC |
| 8 | Scott Drew | Baylor | $5,410,061 | Big 12 |
| 9 | Tommy Lloyd | Arizona | $5,250,000 | Big 12 |
| 10 | Nate Oats | Alabama | $5,018,045 | SEC |
| T-11 | Mark Pope | Kentucky | $5,000,000 | SEC |
| T-11 | Chris Beard | Ole Miss | $5,000,000 | SEC |
| 13 | Matt Painter | Purdue | $4,850,000 | Big Ten |
| 14 | Brad Underwood | Illinois | $4,800,000 | Big Ten |
| 15 | Fred Hoiberg | Nebraska | $4,750,000 | Big Ten |
| 16 | Kelvin Sampson | Houston | $4,604,000 | Big 12 |
| 17 | Buzz Williams | Texas A&M | $4,600,000 | SEC |
| T-18 | Chris Jans | Mississippi State | $4,200,000 | SEC |
| T-18 | Mike Woodson | Indiana | $4,200,000 | Big Ten |
| 20 | Jamie Dixon | TCU | $4,106,441 | Big 12 |
| T-21 | Dennis Gates | Missouri | $4,100,000 | SEC |
| T-21 | Kevin Willard | Maryland | $4,100,000 | Big Ten |
| 23 | Dana Altman | Oregon | $4,007,000 | Big Ten |
| 24 | Grant McCasland | Texas Tech | $3,900,000 | Big 12 |
| 25 | Greg Gard | Wisconsin | $3,875,375 | Big Ten |
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