After he hit the ground running in year one with a 30-6 record and a second-place finish in the ACC, Virginia basketball coach Ryan Odom has agreed to a new contract with University Athletics.
According to the new contract, Odom’s tenure as the head of the program will continue through 2032, with an annualized salary increase from $3.25 million to $4.15 million.
The original deal Odom signed with the Cavaliers in 2025 established his tenure through the 2030-31 season — the new deal adds one year. The increase reflects Odom’s success last season and signifies Director of Athletics Carla Williams’ trust in his ability to maintain the program’s momentum.
Additionally, Odom’s previous contract had a scaled buyout that started at $15 million and went down to $5 million at the end of the term. Contract buyouts help deter other schools from poaching coaches by forcing a hiring school to pay the coach’s original school a predetermined amount to hire the coach. They also allow a university to part ways with their coach before a contract expires by paying the coach a specified amount of their remaining salary.
Like the old contract, the new contract maintains the buyout that another school would have to pay to hire Odom before his contract expires, however the buyout now drops to $2 million by his final year. The values also drop slightly if Williams leaves the University.
Additionally, the new contract increases the University’s buyout paid to Odom, should Virginia decide to part ways with Odom before his contract expires. If the University were to part ways with Odom in his final year, the buyout paid to Odom would be 80 percent of all final-year compensation — up from 60 percent in the original contract.
Entering the 2026-27 season, many outlets — including ESPN — predict the Cavaliers to start ranked in the top 10-15 nationally and to be contenders to win the ACC. With Odom’s future more secure than ever, the program will strive to improve upon what was a remarkable start to his tenure.
Michael Liebermann contributed reporting.
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