No matter which team wins the NCAA men’s basketball tournament Monday, Kelvin Sampson has already beat Todd Golden in one postseason matchup: contract incentives.
Houston’s coach has already netted $500,000 in bonuses headed into Monday’s title game against Florida, which is more than Golden’s entire incentive pool.
Should the Cougars win, Sampson will double his money and land $1 million in bonuses for winning the national championship with Houston. He already netted $100,000 for the Cougars’ second round and Sweet 16 tournament wins (each), and another $300,000 for advancing to the Final Four, according to his contract, which was reviewed by Front Office Sports.
A win against Florida would earn Sampson another $500,000 to equal the total incentives he previously hit.
Golden is working with a much smaller bonus pool. The 40-year-old coach has already signed his second contract with the Gators despite being in his third season with the program. In May 2024, Golden signed a two-year extension that raised his payout from $3 million annually to $4 million. The team’s Final Four run likely has him in line for another new contract. Sampson is among college basketball’s highest-paid coaches, making $4.75 million a year.
But for now, Golden is working with an incentive pool that totals $400,000 and includes academic incentives, too. He also has a $500,000 retention bonus if he’s still Florida’s coach on April 15. Golden netted $25,000 for Florida’s SEC Tournament title and $37,500 for the Gators making the NCAA Tournament. He got another $37,500 for the team’s Sweet 16 appearance to increase his bonus earnings to $100,000. Golden got another $25,000 for leading Florida to the Final Four.
If Florida beats Houston, Golden will earn an additional $50,000 to bring his total to $175,000.
