STORRS, CT (WFSB) – Dan Hurley is going for the three-peat at UConn. His decision to stay in Storrs was the gift almost everyone in Connecticut was hoping for, but it’s a gift that comes with an expensive price tag.
College coaching contracts are complicated as there’s the base salary and then a lot of different bonuses and other payments. However, any way you add it up, Hurley is getting a big raise, and taxpayers will be funding at least part of it.
“He chose to stay in Storrs, Connecticut over the Los Angeles Lakers. That’s pretty cool,” said speaker of the house Matt Ritter (D).
Ritter says he told UConn to do what it needed to do to keep Dan Hurley knowing it’s a promise he’ll be expected to keep next budget season.
“UConn doesn’t want to be punished for paying coach. They don’t want people saying well you decided to pay coach Hurley, so don’t come to us now for your block grant to be increased,” said Ritter. “I think everyone wanted to understand that if they make that investment, they are not being penalized for it, that we value the athletic department, the same we value the entire university. I think we all said, ‘You do what you have to do to keep coach. No one is going to yell at you next year for giving coach what is a justifiable, well-deserved contract that I think most people in Connecticut are going to be very happy that he is going to sign.’”
The exact details of Hurley’s new contract are not yet known. Governor Ned Lamont says that’s still being negotiated, but Lamont has said it’s likely Hurley will become the highest paid college coach in the country. That would mean at least doubling Hurley’s current salary of $5 million per year to $10 million per year.
WFSB asked Lamont where that money will come from.
“UConn has got to figure that out. As you know, we have a big ARPA increase in terms of state aid for UConn. I think they’ll be able to figure that out,” said Lamont.
In 2023—UConn Athletics reported that it self-generated nearly 60% of its budget through things like donations and ticket sales. The other 40% comes from the university’s budget which is funded in large part through state tax dollars.
UConn Athletics also reports it generated more than $225 million dollars statewide in economic output in 2023.
Every year UConn and the legislature go back and forth over funding during the budget process. In 2023, UConn students rallied at the capital over budget cuts that increased tuition. In 2024, Ritter says the legislature invested in improvements to Gampel, the XL Center, and other parts of UConn too.
“We authorized close to $700 million of projects at UConn as part of the bond bill this spring that we adopted,” said Ritter. “We remain committed to UConn as our flagship university, and that includes supporting the university’s general fund and the operating budget, and that includes athletics as well.”
After this latest budget, UConn’s president says the university is still projected to be $29.2 million dollars in the red next year. One of the ways the University is planning to fill the gap is by slowing hiring. That was all before paying millions more for a chance at a 3-peat.
Once Hurley’s contract is officially signed, it will then become a public document and the exact details will be available.
Hurley is also expected to speak publicly for the first time about the contract at practice on Thursday June 13th.
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