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Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin signs a 3-year contract extension, AP source says

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin has signed a three-year extension that will keep him under contract through 2030, a person familiar with the deal said Friday.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither the school nor Stricklin had announced the extension. Financial details were not immediately available. Stricklin had been making $1.8 million annually.

His new deal came together after the Gators won a national championship in men's basketball, the third in program history and the first under coach Todd Golden. Stricklin hired Golden in March 2022.

The Florida football team ended 2024 with a flurry, rallying around embattled coach Billy Napier and winning their final four games behind promising quarterback DJ Lagway. The 15th-ranked Gators open the season Saturday against Long Island.

Hired to replace longtime Florida AD Jeremy Foley in November 2016, Stricklin has enjoyed 13 national titles and 45 conference crowns while leading one of the most recognizable brands in college sports. He has been instrumental in helping the Gators navigate the ever-changing landscape of college sports, including revenue sharing and name, image and likeness payouts, as well as catching up in the facilities chase.

Under Stricklin, Florida opened an $85 million football facility and a $65 million baseball stadium. The athletic program also has preliminary plans to embark on a $1 billion renovation to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, better known as “the Swamp.”

But Stricklin's future appeared murky last year, especially with the football team starting 1-2 and getting thumped at home by Miami and Texas A&M. Stricklin hired Napier from Louisiana-Lafayette in the Sun Belt Conference, and Napier was 12-16 at that point.

Stricklin was under enough heat that he essentially stopped using social media. It didn't help that he had to replace a women's basketball coach (Cam Newbauer in 2021) and a soccer coach (Tony Amato in 2022) he hired because of alleged mistreatment toward players.

Stricklin's job has been less stressful over the last 10 months. Napier's team delivered down the stretch last year and raised expectations for 2025. And then the basketball team won a title in Golden's third season.

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