NCAA basketball: Top 25 highest-paid college basketball coaches for 2020

2. Mike Krzyzewski, Duke

Salary: $7,256,924 | Buyout: N/A

It feels as if Mike Krzyzewski has been patrolling the sidelines in Durham since the inception of Duke Blue Devils basketball. Of course, that’s not actually the case. The former Army point guard helmed his alma mater from 1975-80 before taking the job at Duke for the 1980-81 season. And since then, he’s built a dynasty amidst the other powerhouses in the vaunted ACC.

The 74-year-old Chicago native’s enduring success at Duke is literally unmatched in the history of college basketball. Coach K is the winningest head coach in the history of the sport with 1,084 after the conclusion of the 2019-20 season. He also became the first coach to win 1,000 games in his career back in 2015 as well.

It’s not been meaningless wins for Krzyzewski either, which you might guess given the Blue Devils’ placement in the ACC and among other blue blood programs. Coach K has won five NCAA Championships in his time with Duke, most recently in 2015. Furthermore, he’s led the program to 12 Final Four appearances, 15 ACC Tournament titles and 12 regular-season conference championships as well.

At this point in his career, it feels as if the Duke athletic department could hand Krzyzewski a blank check and it would ultimately be worth it. With what he’s done over 40 years with the program and the heights he’s taken the Blue Devils to, it would be a travesty if he wasn’t among the highest-paid coaches in the country.