Houston’s Kelvin Sampson has agreed to a new contract that will make him one of the highest-paid college basketball coaches in the country, CBS Sports’ Gary Parish has confirmed. Sampson, a freshman Sweet 16 debutant with the Cougars in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, will reportedly earn between $4.5 million and $5 million per year in the revised contract — up from the $3.4 million he was set to make. This would put him in the top 10 highest earning coaches in the sport.
Kelvin’s son, Kellen, who is an assistant coach on the Houston staff, also got a new contract. Kelvin is his father’s prospective head coach and will receive a new multi-year contract when he takes over the program as head coach, sources tell CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander.
The revised contract follows Sampson’s May interview with the Milwaukee Bucks, where he was previously an assistant coach from 2008-11. Shortly after the interview, Houston offered him a new contract. “I can’t wait to compete in the Big 12 next season. Go Cogs!” Sampson he said in a short statement.
The Cougars finished the 2022-23 season with a record of 33-4 (17-1 in the AAC) and were ranked No. 1 for most of the year, earning a top seed and advancing after the first weekend of the tournament for the fourth straight game at a time. Houston’s season ended with a loss to Miami.
Sampson is 232-74 in nine seasons with the Cougars. Under his guidance, Houston has reached the Sweet 16 four times and made a trip to the Final Four in 2021. Houston will move from the AAC to the Big 12 this summer, along with BYU, Cincinnati, and UCF.