UCF, basketball coach Johnny Dawkins agree to 2-year contract extension
UCF’s Johnny Dawkins has signed a two-year contract extension that keeps the veteran coach with the men’s basketball program through 2026-27, a school official told the Orlando Sentinel.
The details were hashed out Friday. According to his contract, Dawkins’ base salary is $500,000 with a guaranteed annual compensation of $2 million this upcoming season. That increases to $2.1 million in 2025-26 and $2.2 million in 2026-27.
He’s eligible for an annual merit pay increase to be determined by the athletic director.
His buyout is 50% of his guaranteed salary or $1 million this upcoming season and 0% for the 2025-26 season. The final year of Dawkins’ contract is not guaranteed.
Dawkins is eligible for performance bonuses up to $500,000 per year and academic performances of up to $10,000.
Under Dawkins’s guidance, UCF has made remarkable progress. The team’s debut season in the Big 12 was marked by a 17-16 overall record, 7-11 in the conference. Notably, the team achieved a milestone with three wins against ranked teams, a testament to their growing competitiveness and potential.
Despite a disappointing exit in the first round of the NIT, athletics director Terry Mohajir expressed his confidence in the program’s direction.
“We were very competitive and right now, where we are in the college landscape, continuity and stability are really important as we go forward,” Mohajir told the Sentinel on Thursday. “That’s why we believe our future is bright in men’s basketball.”
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UCF is 148-103 (59%) under Dawkins, 60, since his arrival in 2016, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament (’18-19) and NIT (’16-17, ’22-23, ’23-24).
Qualifying for the postseason in its first year in Big 12, the toughest league in Division I the past few seasons, was a remarkable accomplishment,
“It’s a great league and it’s not getting any easier with the four new schools,” added Mohajir.
The Big 12 added Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah, growing the league from 14 to 16 members with the departure of Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC.
The conference sent seven teams to the NCAA Tournament and three to the NIT while Arizona, Colorado and Utah all earned postseason bids in 2024.
Mohajir believes the athletics department should provide more resources for the basketball program to continue building on Dawkins’ accomplishments.
“This past offseason, we’ve invested about $12.5 million dollars into the basketball arena, we’ve increased his staff, some of his resources and his operating budget,” he said. “I believe it’s my job to help our coaches with as many resources as you possibly can.”
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When Mohajir arrived in 2021, the basketball program lagged behind in resources, with the Knights near the bottom even in the American Athletic Conference. Those figures were only slightly better with the move to the Big 12.
“We’ve been spending the last couple of years on resources, building his operating budget, his personnel budget and facilities and I believe we’re headed in the right direction,” said Mohajir.
Mohajir understands people are just as important.
“Not too many people don’t like playing for Johnny,” he said. “He’s got the right temperament that I like. When he needs to be tough, he can be tough. He’s a good example of a head coach.
“I believe it was important to give him additional chances to prove what I think we can be [as a program] and he knows what that means: Be a consistent NCAA tournament team.”
Matt Murschel can be reached at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com