© Eakin Howard/Imagn
The next head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels men’s basketball program is yet to be determined. But we do now know that it won’t be current Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd.
Lloyd announced at his press conference on Friday ahead of his team’s Final Four matchup with Michigan that he had agreed to a contract extension to remain the head coach of the Wildcats.
Not only that, but CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander reports that Lloyd turned down an offer from UNC that would have made him one of the two highest-paid coaches in the country. Lloyd’s new salary is reportedly $7.2 million, which makes him the fourth-highest paid coach in the nation among public schools.
However, staying at Arizona does come with some unique perks.
Sources: UNC offered Tommy Lloyd a top-two contract in CBB. Lloyd took less to stay, but will still bump up to $7.2 million starting next season. Staff pool also will get a huge bump + incentives brought back to their contract structures. He’ll also no longer report to the AD. https://t.co/irS6aGzVz3
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) April 3, 2026
Tommy Lloyd Doesn’t Have To Answer To Anybody
According to Norlander, not only did Lloyd receive significant raises for his entire coaching staff, but he also no longer has to report to University of Arizona athletic director Desireé Reed-Francois.
Notably, Reed-Francois took over in 2024, replacing Dave Heeke, who hired Lloyd back in 2021.
“I’m happy to announce I’m staying at Arizona,” Lloyd said at his press conference. “We’ve been able to get some things done the past couple (of) days. Arizona basketball, you guys know what it means to me, and when I say it’s a special place, that always comes from the bottom of my heart.”
Now, presumably Lloyd still has to answer to someone. Although who that person is has yet to be clarified.