Tony Bennett signs new contract extension at Virginia

As of today, Tony Bennett is set to remain at Virginia for the remainder of the decade.

The Cavaliers announced the contract extension for Bennett in a press release on Thursday. The new deal will keep him in Charlottesville through April 30th, 2030. If he is still head coach by April 30th, 2026, that will then trigger an automatic one-year rollover to 2031.

“Tony Bennett is foundational to our efforts to compete for championships in this new model of college athletics,” AD Carla Williams wrote in the release. “He embodies everything important to the University of Virginia and Virginia Athletics. It’s an honor to work with him and we’re thrilled about the future of men’s basketball under his leadership.”

Added Bennett: “I love UVA and it has always been a special place for me and my family. I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with Carla Williams and Jim Ryan and to represent the University of Virginia. My staff and I look forward to adapting to the new landscape of college athletics. We will continue to build one of the best basketball programs on and off the court without compromising the values of our university. Go Hoos!”

Next season will be the 16th for Bennett at Virginia. He got his first head-coaching job at Washington State before coming there in 2009.

Over his 18 seasons with the Cougars and Cavaliers, Bennett has posted a career record of 433-169 (.719). He went 69-33 (.676) at Wazzu before going 364-136 (.728) in his decade and a half at UVA.

Bennett and Virginia have had a successful tenure together over the last 15 years. He himself has been ACC Coach of the Year four times and a two-time National Coach of the Year there. The Cavaliers have also won eight total conference titles, made eight appearances in the NCAA Tournament, and most notably won the national championship in 2019.

However, while he did lead them to their only title, the last seven seasons have also had some bumps. For one, Virginia became the first No. 1 seed to ever lose to a 16-seed in March Madness. While they did erase that from the resumé with the championship the following year, their postseasons haven’t been nearly as successful ever since. In their last three tournament appearances, No. 13 Ohio and No. 13 Furman upset them in the opening rounds of 2021 and 2023 respectively while they were unable to make it in the field against No. 10 Colorado State in the First Four in 2024.

That’s not to take away from Bennett’s time in Charlottesville, though. There’s still plenty to look forward too with him locked in there at Virginia for the next six years or so.