Pat Kelsey made quick work of reviving Louisville basketball.
And he did so, relatively speaking, at a bargain for the No. 13 Cardinals (25-6, 18-2 ACC). The 49-year-old Cincinnati native’s salary for the 2024-25 season cracked neither the top 50 nationally nor the top five in the conference, according to a USA TODAY Sports database published Thursday.
Before diving further into Kelsey’s contract, consider this: his predecessor, Kenny Payne earned a base salary of $3,350,000, which was the fourth highest in the ACC at the time of its approval; and U of L reported paying $7.45 million in severance to him and his staff during the 2024 fiscal year in the wake of the program’s first back-to-back seasons of 20-plus losses across its 111 years of existence.
And former coach Chris Mack was making $4.3 million before his departure in January of 2022.
“I think it was based on circumstances; as far as where Kenny was relative to where Pat was,” U of L athletics director Josh Heird said the day Kelsey was introduced as Payne’s successor, when asked about the difference in pay between the two coaches.
“We did our due diligence just from a — call it the leap from mid-major to Power Five and what those salaries look like (for) coaches who have made that jump. I mean, we had a list of probably 20, 25 (coaches) and what those numbers looked like from an average yearly salary. Pat’s numbers fall right into that.”
Here’s a look at Kelsey’s salary and how it stacks up both nationally and in the ACC:
U of L is paying Kelsey $2,367,418 for the 2024-25 season.
Kelsey’s salary ranks 69th nationally — one spot behind Oklahoma State’s Steve Lutz ($2,400,000) and one spot ahead of Utah’s Craig Smith ($2,300,000).
By law, private universities, such as ACC members Notre Dame, SMU, Stanford and Syracuse, are not required to publicly disclose their contracts.
Here’s a look at the country’s 10 highest-paid coaches:
Among the 14 ACC schools that reported contracts, Kelsey’s 2024-25 salary ranked ninth.
Here’s a breakdown:
Per Steve Berkowitz of USA TODAY Sports, Scheyer is an example of partial-year pay. For some private schools, it’s possible — but not certain — that a coach’s actual pay is greater than the amount shown; because the coach may be getting paid by non-school entity, such as a shoe/apparel company. Gonzaga’s Mark Few is an example of this.
Kelsey’s contract runs through March 15, 2029. However, with Louisville on the cusp of its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019, he is in line to receive an automatic one-year extension for leading the Cards back to March Madness.
Per a copy of Kelsey’s contract obtained by The Courier Journal, his salary will remain the same “unless otherwise negotiated” with U of L.
If Kelsey is terminated without cause by Louisville, 95% of remaining guaranteed compensation is subject to mitigation and offsets and is payable over the remainder of the term, according to the university.
If Kelsey resigns his job for any other position before the end of the term, payment to Louisville will be 95% of his remaining guaranteed compensation and is payable within 90 days, according to the university.
Kelsey has already earned a $25,000 bonus for being crowned ACC Coach of the Year.
Here’s a look at the rest of the incentives:
Note: Kelsey’s NCAA Tournament bonuses are not cumulative.
Reach Louisville men’s basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.
This story was updated to add a gallery.
