Gators’ Golden agrees to 2-year extension that includes raise, AP source says

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida basketball coach Todd Golden has agreed to a two-year contract extension that includes a raise, a person familiar with negotiations said Thursday.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the financial details still need to be approved by the university’s compensation committee. The additional two years would keep Golden under contract through 2030.

Golden signed a six-year, $18 million contract in 2022, and made $3 million this season. He is 94-63 overall in five seasons, including three at San Francisco.

The Gators (21-10, 11-7 Southeastern Conference) are the No. 6-seeded team at the league tournament in Nashville, Tenn., and play Georgia on Thursday night. Golden is 37-27 in two seasons in Gainesville and has Florida on the cusp of its first NCAA Tournament appearance in three years.

Golden overhauled Florida’s roster before Year 2 through the transfer portal, adding first-team All-SEC point guard Zyon Pullin (UC Riverside) along with leading scorer Walter Clayton Jr. (Iona) out of Lake Wales and Bartow and big men Tyrese Samuel (Seton Hall) and Micah Handlogten (Marshall).

Golden also found success on the recruiting trail with promising forwards Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh. Condon was named to the SEC’s all-freshman team.

Under Golden’s direction, Florida has its highest-scoring team in program history. Pullin is on pace to post the SEC’s best assist-to-turnover ratio (4.38 to 1) in any season, and Clayton (17 points per game) is locked into one of the top-25 scoring seasons in program history, while hitting at least three 3-pointers in 12 of 18 conference games.

The Gators open SEC Tournament play at 9:30 tonight against Georgia.