Matt Painter agrees to contract extension with Purdue, jumps into top 10 of highest-paid coaches

Purdue coach Matt Painter is set to become one of the highest-paid coaches in college basketball during the 2026-27 season after signing an extension with the program on Tuesday. ESPN reported that Painter's new salary this season will be $7 million, up from $4.9 million last season, which would place Painter somewhere in the top 10 of highest paid coaches according to the annual database of salaries compiled by USA Today in April.

Painter ranked 16th among all Division I coaches in salary last season. He is the second coach ranked in the top 20 to get a significant contract extension this offseason, joining Florida coach Todd Golden, who signed a six-year, $49.5 million deal in August that raised his salary to $7.5 million.

"Purdue is a very special place for me, and it's an honor to continue to be the head basketball coach at my alma mater," Painter said in a release. "I'm humbled that the Purdue administration continues to put their faith in me to lead this program, and am excited to continue to elevate our program with class and strive to reach all of our goals on and off the court." 

Painter has racked up 501 wins at Purdue and is second on the program's all-time victory list, trailing only Gene Keady's 512 career wins. During his tenure at Purdue, the Boilermakers have won five Big Ten regular-season titles, three Big Ten Tournament titles and reached the Final Four for the first time in 44 years in 2024.

According to an extensive report by CBS Sports that ranked high-major teams in the NIL arms race, Purdue was near the bottom (Tier 6) and had a roster valued between $7.1 million and $9.9 million despite having one of the best and most consistent programs in the sport.

The Boilermakers have made eight Sweet 16 appearances since 2017 under Painter and participated in the NCAA Tournament for 11 consecutive times it was held. Purdue opens this season unranked in the preseason AP Top 25 poll and faces No. 15 Gonzaga on Monday in the season-opener for both teams..

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