Todd Golden agrees to contract extension with Florida Gators
On the heels of Florida’s best regular season in seven years, UF coach Todd Golden has agreed to a two-year contract extension, Gators Online has confirmed. The deal extends Golden through the 2029-30 season.
Golden was hired in March 2022 on a six-year deal worth $18 million after leading San Franciso to its first NCAA Tournament in 24 years. He now has the Gators set to make the Big Dance for first time in three years.
Florida’s 21 regular season wins are the team’s most since 2016-17. UF also won its final eight SEC home games, the team’s longest SEC home win streak since posting a program-record 20 in a row from 2013-15.
The Gators had three wins over top-25 teams this season and have five total under Golden. He is the only Florida coach besides Tommy Bartlett (1966-73) to earn five ranked wins in his first two seasons at the helm.
The highlight of the season was a 94-91 overtime win at Kentucky, marking UF’s first road win over an AP top-10 team since 2003. The Gators also had an 81-65 win over Auburn and a 105-87 victory against Alabama.
The Alabama game on Senior Night marked Florida’s sixth sellout of the season.
“It was awesome and it says a lot about this place, and the fact that we were able to get going a little bit. When you have some success, the city, the alums and everybody around the university will get behind you,” Golden said. “I’ve talked to a lot of people, and they thought the Bama game was the best environment in the O’Dome in a long time. That’s exciting.
“It’s really good for our program to the positivity and support around it, especially with the hard work that our guys and staff have put in. Our goal is to continue it and keep building and not being satisfied with where we are and know that it’s really hard to keep building and continuing to improve. But we’re headed in the right direction, and we want it to keep going.”
Golden revamped the roster this offseason and produced the highest-scoring team in school history, led by a starting five all signed from the portal. Three transfers earned All-SEC honors in Zyon Pullin, Walter Clayton Jr. and Tyrese Samuel.
Pullin is on pace to set the program record with a 4.38 assist-to-turnover ratio, which leads the nation. Clayton, UF’s leading scorer, has averaged 18.3 points in league play. They are Florida’s first All-SEC backcourt duo since 2013.
Samuel leads the SEC in field goal percentage (57.3) and has a team-high 7.5 rebounds per game and 36 steals this season. Florida’s frontcourt also features Marshall transfer Micah Handlogten and SEC All-Freshman Alex Condon.
Handlogten, UF’s starting center, is one of the best rebounders in the country with a 17.7% offensive rebounding percentage. Condon has recorded 6.5 rebounds per game and 38 blocked shots, both of which lead all SEC freshmen.
