What does reaching the Sweet 16 mean for Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope’s contract?

When Mark Pope came back to Lexington last April to succeed John Calipari as the Kentucky men’s basketball head coach, the contract Pope agreed to with UK included specific sections that would come into play if Pope was able to guide the Wildcats to the Sweet 16.

In his first season leading the UK program, those sections will be applied.

Sunday night’s 84-75 victory by No. 3 seed Kentucky over No. 6 seed Illinois in the second round of the NCAA Tournament secured a trip to the Sweet 16 for UK for the first time since 2019.

As such, some things are changing with Pope’s contract.

Last spring, Pope agreed to a five-year contract with UK that called for him to be paid $5 million for the 2024-25 season, with that amount increasing by $250,000 per year over the course of the contract.

The key part comes next.

For any season in which UK reaches at least the Sweet 16 — which Pope’s squad has done this season — his contract will be automatically extended by one season, as long as there are no more than five seasons remaining on the contract at that time.

So, Pope’s contract with UK is now set to run through the 2029-30 season.

In keeping with his contract structure, Pope’s salary will also increase by $250,000 for this additional contract year.

As such, Pope is set to be paid $5.25 million for the 2025-26 season, $5.5 million for the 2026-27 season, $5.75 million for the 2027-28 season, $6 million for the 2028-29 season and now $6.25 million for the 2029-30 season that Pope just triggered by reaching the Sweet 16.

According to the USA Today database of coaching salaries, Pope is currently the 11th-highest paid men’s basketball coach in the country, at least among coaches at public universities. This is using the $5 million figure that Pope is being paid for the 2024-25 season.

Pope lags behind Bill Self (Kansas), John Calipari (Arkansas), Dan Hurley (UConn), Tom Izzo (Michigan State), Mick Cronin (UCLA), Bruce Pearl (Auburn), Rick Barnes (Tennessee), Scott Drew (Baylor), Tommy Lloyd (Arizona) and Nate Oats (Alabama) on the salary leaderboard for this season.

Pope’s contract with UK also lays out potential bonuses he can earn based on his team’s academic performance, as well as how his Wildcats fare on the court.

Pope has already earned a $50,000 bonus this season for reaching the Sweet 16.

If he were to guide Kentucky to a win over Tennessee on Friday night and earn a spot in the Elite Eight, that bonus would grow to $100,000. The bonus amount would grow to $250,000 if UK reaches the Final Four and $500,000 if the Cats win the national championship this season.

Each of Kentucky’s five assistant coaches — Alvin Brooks III, Mark Fox, Cody Fueger, Jason Hart and Mikhail McLean — will also earn a bonus payment of at least $20,000 as a result of Kentucky’s participation in the second week of the NCAA Tournament.

This story was originally published March 24, 2025 at 12:10 AM.

Cameron Drummond

Lexington Herald-Leader

859-242-5257

Cameron Drummond works as a sports reporter for the Lexington Herald-Leader with a focus on Kentucky men’s basketball recruiting and the UK men’s basketball team, horse racing, soccer and other sports in Central Kentucky. Drummond is a second-generation American who was born and raised in Texas, before graduating from Indiana University. He is a fluent Spanish speaker who previously worked as a community news reporter in Austin, Texas. Support my work with a digital subscription