Todd Golden
Todd Raymond Golden is an Israeli-American college basketball coach. He is the current head coach of the Florida Gators men's basketball team. During the 2024–25 [Florida Gators men's basketball team|2024–25 season], Golden led the Gators to a 36–4 record and the 2025 [NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|national championship].
Early life and education
Golden is from Phoenix, Arizona, and graduated from Sunnyslope High School in 2003. Golden played basketball and baseball at Sunnyslope and helped them win the 2002 Arizona 4A state championship in basketball, scoring 6 of their 62 points in a 62–61 victory.In 2003, Golden enrolled at Saint Mary's College of California, where he played guard for the Saint Mary's Gaels from 2004 to 2008. The Gaels would make appearances in the 2005 and 2008 NCAA Tournaments during his career, though he did not appear in their sole 2005 NCAA tournament game, a 65–56 loss to Southern Illinois. Golden played a total of 109 games with 82 starts, averaging 5.5 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists. During his senior season of 2007–08 [Saint Mary's Gaels men's basketball team|2007–08], he ranked second in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio, and graduated as the Gaels' all-time leader in free-throw percentage before the record was broken by Matthew Dellavedova.
Pro basketball career
From 2008 to 2010, Golden played for Maccabi Haifa in the Israeli Basketball Premier League. In two seasons with Maccabi Haifa, Golden played in 22 games and averaged 2.2 points. Golden also competed in the 2009 Maccabiah Games with the USA Open Team.Coaching career
After working in the private sector in advertising sales once his playing career was over, Golden entered the college coaching ranks, joining Kyle Smith's staff at Columbia University, first as director of basketball operations, then as an assistant coach. He then took a director of basketball operations position at Auburn under Bruce Pearl, his coach during the 2009 Maccabiah Games. Golden rose to assistant coach with the Tigers in his final season, before reuniting with Smith at San Francisco.San Francisco
On April 1, 2019, Golden was officially introduced as the 20th men's basketball coach in Dons history, replacing Smith who departed for Washington State.In his first season as head coach, Golden led San Francisco to a 22–12 record and a fifth-place finish in the WCC. The Dons' season was ended with an 81–77 loss to Gonzaga in the WCC tournament semifinals.
In 2020–21, the Dons took a step back from the year prior, amassing an 11–14 record and finishing eighth in the WCC. On November 27, 2020, the Dons defeated No. 4 ranked Virginia 61–60, Virginia's first loss to a non-major opponent since UMBC vs. Virginia men's basketball game|their 2018 NCAA Tournament loss] to 16-seeded UMBC.
The 2021–22 season was the most successful of Golden's tenure, achieving a 24–10 record, and qualifying for the NCAA tournament, the program's first appearance since 1998. They lost in overtime 92–87 to Murray State in the first round. The program's 24 wins represented their highest mark since winning 25 games during the 1981–82 season.
Florida
On March 18, 2022, Golden was announced as the next men's basketball coach at Florida, following the departure of Mike White to Georgia. His contract with the school is for six years, worth $18 million over the life of the contract.In 2022-23, Golden's first as head coach, Florida finished 8th in the SEC with a 9-9 record, including a 67-54 win over then #2 2022–23 [Tennessee Volunteers basketball team|Tennessee], but ultimately finished with a losing 16-17 record after consecutive first-round exits in the SEC tournament and NIT to close the season.
Florida amassed a 24-12 record in 2023-24, including a run to the championship game of the SEC Tournament, where they were ultimately beaten by 2023–24 [Auburn Tigers men's basketball team|Auburn]. For their season they were awarded a seven seed in the 2024 NCAA tournament, but lost their first-round game to 2023–24 [Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball team|Colorado], 102-100. This team's 24 wins were the most by a Gators team since 2017.
The 2024-2025 team under Golden finished the season with a 36-4 record, winning the SEC and NCAA tournaments. This marked the Gators' first national title since 2007. Golden was named a finalist for Naismith Coach of the Year. On May 6, 2025, Florida gave Golden a six-year, $40.5 million contract extension, making him at the time one of the five-highest paid college coaches.
Misconduct allegations
In November 2024, it was reported by various news outlets that Golden had been accused of sexual harassment and stalking by an unconfirmed number of women, including students, and became the subject of a Title IX investigation with the University of Florida. The complaint alleged that Golden sent illicit photos and stalked women to various locations. Golden released a statement regarding the allegations, noting that he has sought legal counsel to bring potential defamation claims against undisclosed involved parties.On January 27, 2025, the University of Florida announced that they concluded their investigation of Golden, finding no evidence of any Title IX violations after a “thorough investigation that included dozens of interviews."