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Featured On CBS In March? Time For A Raise!

Get your team into the Elite 8 and your salary will reach elite numbers.

In fact, just make the tournament field of 65 teams, and you should see your salary as a college basketball coach expand in the next year. According to the USA TODAY, coaches who had their team reach the Elite 8 last year saw an average rise in salary of $332,000 and over 20 of the 65 coaches who made the NCAA tournament are grossing $1 million+ this year [Success on the court translates to big money for coaches]. If you happen to be a coach that made the tournament and your team is in a major conference, chances are that your salary figure is even greater (average of around $1.2 million this year). Mid-major schools are still dishing off a smaller amount of money to its tournament-entered teams with an average of $400,000 for those coaches [Mid-majors squeezed to pay up].

Think that Tom Izzo (Mich St), Seth Greenberg (VA Tech), and Gary Williams (Maryland) have been feeling some pressure lately to make the tournament? [Pressure builds on successful coaches]

While the numbers are looking good for college basketball coaches and their agents alike, NCAA football coaches are still making more than their colleagues on the court. In the ever-growing market that college coaches are in, salaries in both sports should continue to rise. In fact, high-profile coaches are even striking lucrative endorsement deals that earn them additional money that is not documented in the contracts that are signed with collegiate institutions (shoe and apparel deals, public speaking engagements, personal appearances). Gone are the days where the athlete is the only person of value outside of the game. Successful mid-major coaches, your day will come.

For a list of compensation for D1 men’s basketball coaches: USA TODAY D1 Database.

-Darren Heitner

By Darren Heitner

Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.

As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.

Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.

Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.

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