As UCLA gets ready to face South Carolina in Sunday’s national championship game, Cori Close has already pushed the program into new territory. The Bruins are in their first NCAA women’s title game, which makes the usual coaching-contract question feel more timely than a standard salary lookup. Fans watching this run want to know not only what Close makes, but how UCLA is valuing the coach who built a title contender.
The clearest recent salary figure comes from USA Today’s women’s basketball coaching salary database. It lists Close at $774,722 for the 2023-24 contract season, including $773,222 in school pay and $1,500 in other pay. The database also lists her maximum bonus at $170,000 and her school buyout at $750,000 as of April 1, 2024. USA Today further notes that her school pay included a $100,000 retention payment if she remained UCLA’s head coach through June 30, 2024.
What is known about her contract
GettyPHOENIX, ARIZONA – APRIL 02: Head coach Cori Close of the UCLA Bruins speaks during a press conference ahead of the 2026 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Final Four at Mortgage Matchup Center on April 02, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
What is less clear is the full structure of Close’s current deal. UCLA has not publicly laid out a full updated contract sheet in the same easy-to-access way some schools do for major coaches. In practical terms, that means the best public reporting gives a strong recent pay number, bonus ceiling and buyout figure, while some newer contract specifics remain out of view.
It is one thing to know what Close was scheduled to make in the most recently available database. It is another to know every detail of her current agreement after UCLA’s rise from contender to championship-game participant. For readers, the honest answer is that some of the compensation picture is confirmed, while some of the newest contract language is not publicly detailed.
Why the championship game changes the conversation
This is where the timing becomes important. UCLA did not just make a Sweet 16 or another respectable tournament run. The Bruins beat Texas to reach the first NCAA championship game in program history and now meet South Carolina with a title on the line Sunday. That kind of breakthrough changes how fans, administrators and rival programs view a coach’s value.
Close’s résumé already carried weight, but this run gives UCLA even more reason to keep investing. A coach who can recruit at a high level, build around stars like Lauren Betts and take the Bruins to the sport’s biggest stage is not easy to replace. Even without every new contract term being public, the broader takeaway is obvious: Close entered this tournament as a highly regarded coach, and she enters the title game with even more leverage than before. That is the real context behind the salary question on championship day.
The bottom line on Cori Close’s salary
So, what does Cori Close make? The most clearly documented recent figure is $774,722 for the 2023-24 contract season, with bonus potential that could push the number higher. Public records also show buyout protection and a retention element in that compensation package. What remains less clear publicly is the exact structure of her most current long-term agreement.
On the day UCLA plays for a national title, that is the cleanest answer: Close is already well compensated, she has been important enough for UCLA to protect, and after taking the Bruins to their first NCAA championship game, her value to the program looks even stronger.
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