UCF exploring contract extension for men’s basketball coach Johnny Dawkins
PHILADELPHIA —On the eve of UCF basketball’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in seven years, discussions surrounding a possible contract extension for coach Johnny Dawkins have already begun. Dawkins, who is wrapping up his 10th season with the Knights, signed a two-year contract extension in 2024 that runs through the 2026-27 season. However, the final year of the deal is non-guaranteed.
UCF athletics director Terry Mohajir said the university is considering several scenarios regarding any future deal with Dawkins. “We’ll talk to his representatives,” Mohajir told the Sentinel. “There are several different scenarios that we’re looking at — short-term extension or long, we’re going to look at some different options.
” Mohajir indicated that a governance process is involved in extending a contract, with UCF President Alexander Cartwright and the school’s Board of Trustees working with the athletics department on a new deal. “We’re talking to his representatives and I’ve got to work through the university,” he said. Mohajir said he sat down with Dawkins last season to discuss expectations surrounding the program.
“We had high expectations,” said Mohajir, who was in Philadelphia for UCF’s first-round game against UCLA on Friday. “No one has higher expectations for the basketball program than Johnny. Obviously, he lives it every single day.
” The Knights won a program-best nine Big 12 games this season, finishing eighth in the conference standings. The team also secured five Quad 1 victories, including wins over Texas A&M, Kansas, Texas Tech, BYU and Cincinnati. The win over the Bearcats came in overtime in the second-round of the Big 12 Tournament.