Three Big 12 Coaches Rank in Top 10 Highest-Paid in College Basketball
The Big 12 Conference is the best basketball league in America, and each head coach is a representative of that fact.
A recent list from 247Sports ranked the Top 20 salaries of basketball coaches around the country. Three members of the league were listed inside the Top 10, including Bill Self, Scott Drew, and Kelvin Sampson.
The first coach mentioned on the list from 247Sports’ Cody Nagel was none other than Houston coach and current Big 12 Coach of the Year Kelvin Sampson. Sampson is the nation’s ninth highest-paid coach, with a salary of $4,610,000 in 2023-24.
“Kelvin Sampson received a new contract extension with Houston in June after flirting with a return to the NBA,” Nagel said. “The Cougars earned a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season. Sampson took over Houston in 2014 and has since led the Cougars to six March Madness appearances in 10 seasons. In 2022, Houston advanced to its first Final Four in nearly four decades. Sampson owns a 262-78 (.771) overall record with the Cougars ahead of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. His 687 wins as a Division I head coach ranks 28th all-time.”
Just ahead of Sampson at the No. 6 spot on the list is Baylor coach Scott Drew, who, to the dismay of Louisville fans across the country, is handsomely paid. Drew is the nation’s sixth highest-paid coach, with a salary of $5,132,821 in 2023-24.
“Scott Drew diminished any buzz about a possible move to Louisville ahead of the 2024 NCAA Tournament,” Nagel said. “The long-time Baylor coach is nearing a new contract extension to remain in Waco, according to multiple reports. Drew is among the longest-tenured active head coaches in Division I. He joined the Bears in 2003, eventually building the program into a national champion in 2021. He is the winningest head coach in Baylor history with 445 victories—244 more than the next closest. Baylor has 12 NCAA Tournament appearances in 21 seasons under Drew.”
The third and final coach mentioned on the list not only belongs to the Big 12 Conference but is the top-paid coach in all of college basketball, Kansas coach Bill Self. Self is the nation’s highest-paid coach, with a salary of $9,625,642 in 2023-24.
“Kansas amended its lifetime contract with Bill Self in November to make him the highest-paid coach in college basketball,” Nagel said. “He earned well over $9 million this year and is expected to make approximately $53 million over the next five. Self will be paid more than $13 million in the first year of the contract, which is the most lucrative for a public university basketball coach. Self owns two national championships at Kansas and two other Final Four appearances. His 805 wins in Division I are among the most for active coaches.”
While money may not always follow the nation’s best coaches, as the Big 12 continues to separate itself from the rest of the pack, the league will continue to claim spots inside the Top 10.
