INDIANAPOLIS — Tommy Lloyd is staying at Arizona on a new contract despite being heavily linked to the North Carolina vacancy.
“My Michael Jordan is Steve Kerr, and I’m proud to be an Arizona Wildcat,” Lloyd said during his Final Four press conference.
“This wasn’t meant to be a leverage deal,” the head coach added. “I appreciate our administration and I think we’ve made great progress on the vision of what Arizona Basketball can be.”
He’s not leaving!
Head coach Tommy Lloyd and Arizona have ironed out a new contract that keeps him in Tucson despite reported North Carolina interest.
Read more: https://t.co/zhIxJoySdc pic.twitter.com/sHyhy1Z7ED
— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) April 3, 2026
Lloyd’s new five-year deal — which will need approval from the Arizona Board of Regents — will make him one of the five highest paid coaches in college basketball, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Jeff Borzello.
According to CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander, Lloyd was UNC’s top target. The Tar Heels had an offer out to make him one of the top-paid coaches in the country. North Carolina fired Hubert Davis on March 24, which led Lloyd to be reported as a frontrunner for the vacancy.
Staying at Arizona meant taking less money, but Lloyd’s deal bumps his annual salary to $7.2 million, still a top-four figure, according to Norlander. Lloyd will report to University of Arizona president Suresh Garimella instead of athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois as part of the new contract.
The contract runs through 2031 and boosts the salary pool of his assistants.
“Tommy Lloyd is the best coach in college basketball, and we have a strong conviction in the future of Arizona Basketball under his leadership,” Reed-Francois said in a press release. “Our program’s success this season — winning championships, competing on the sport’s biggest stage and excelling academically — is a testament to the standard that he and his staff have established. He has recruited and developed student-athletes of character who make a positive impact on our team, our campus and our community.
“Tommy has strengthened our foundation while honoring the tradition that makes Arizona Basketball one of the premier programs in the country, and we are thrilled that he will continue to lead this program at the highest level for years to come.”
Lloyd was hired by former Arizona athletic director Dave Heeke and there were reported differences between Lloyd and Heeke’s successor, Reed-Francois.
Lloyd’s representatives were reportedly in talks over a new contract since before the start of the NCAA Tournament, Reed-Francois told CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein ahead of Arizona’s Sweet 16 game against Arkansas.
Prior to the extension, Lloyd’s previous contract at Arizona saw him earn $4.4 million in base salary in 2025-26 and 2026-27 before annual increases of $250,000.
Additional duties compensation from public appearances in media or at promotional and advertising events stood at $700,000 annually for Lloyd.
He also earned an additional $200,000 annually from partnerships with Nike and Arizona Sports Enterprises.
Under the old deal, Lloyd also would reportedly receive a $2 million retention bonus if he remained with the program and is in good standing as of April 1, 2028.
Tommy Lloyd’s tenure at Arizona
After serving as an assistant coach at Gonzaga for 22 seasons under Mark Few, Lloyd was hired by Arizona ahead of the 2021-22 season to replace previous head coach Sean Miller (2009-21), who was fired.
Lloyd initially signed a five-year contract upon being hired and later agreed to a five-year contract extension in 2024. He signed an additional extension the following year, keeping him under contract with Arizona until after the 2030 season.
This season, Lloyd took Arizona to its first Final Four in 25 years, and the Wildcats are 148-35 (.809) under Lloyd, including trips to at least the Sweet 16 in four of his five seasons.
Lloyd’s 148 wins are an NCAA record for the most by a coach in his first five seasons, and he is the third coach in NCAA history to make the Sweet 16 in four of his first five seasons (Steve Lavin – UCLA and Steve Fisher – Michigan).
Arizona has won six combined conference regular-season and tournament titles under Lloyd, and against Top 25 teams during Lloyd’s tenure, the Wildcats are 35-15 (.700) — the best winning percentage in the country and tied for the most wins in that span (Tennessee – 35).
Lloyd has won his conference’s award for Coach of the Year twice (2021-22, 2025-26) and was named AP Coach of the Year in 2022.
