The Kansas Jayhawks and the University of Kansas have reportedly reached a new contract extension with director of athletics Travis Goff, keeping him at the school through 2031.
First reported by ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Wednesday and later confirmed by the university, the new deal is a seven-year extension for the 44-year-old Goff, nearly doubling his base salary to $1.3 million per year. The full contract details haven’t been publicly released yet. Previously, Goff’s average salary was the lowest in the Big 12, according to Thamel.
Now, the three most high-profile figures in Kansas Athletics are all secured with long-term contracts. Jayhawks football coach Lance Leipold is signed through the 2029 season, and men’s basketball coach Bill Self has a rolling “lifetime” contract.
Since Goff’s hiring in April 2021, KU Athletics has seen consistent or renewed success across its programs. This includes the remarkable turnaround of Kansas football, highlighted by hiring Leipold and achieving back-to-back bowl game appearances. Under Goff, Jayhawks men’s basketball has continued its dominance, winning the 2022 national championship. Other programs, such as women’s basketball and baseball, have also seen significant improvements, with women’s basketball making NCAA tournament appearances and winning a WNIT championship, and KU baseball having its best season since 2019.
Goff expressed his gratitude in a statement, saying, “I have the privilege to work with the best coaches and staff in the country and, together, we serve a remarkable university, passionate fanbase and, most importantly, 500 of the most inspiring young people in society – Jayhawk student-athletes.”
Before taking over as KU’s director of athletics, Goff was a deputy athletics director at Northwestern University. He also spent seven years at Tulane and began his career at KU. Goff is a KU alumnus, graduating in 2002.