Villanova Coaching Search: Richard Pitino Buyout Details

One of the names continually popping up surrounding the Villanova Wildcats’ head coaching search is current New Mexico head man Richard Pitino, who led the Lobos to the Round of 32 as a No. 10 seed and had No. 2 seed Michigan State on upset alert for much of a 71-63 dogfight.

Pitino would prove a much easier get than other names like Maryland’s Kevin Willard or UCLA’s Mick Cronin both because of the financial details — his buyout figure is much lower than that of his counterparts — and because of the increase in prestige from the Mountain West to a New Blood program like Villanova. There’s more of an incentive for Pitino, 42, to climb the ladder than there is for Cronin to make an essentially lateral move… or for Willard to turn his nose up at the Big Ten dollars potentially at stake in his negotiations with the Terrapins.

Pitino’s New Deal

Richard Pitino reworked his contract at the end of last season after taking the Lobos to the NCAA Tournament, receiving a raise that puts his contract between $1.2 million and $1.4 million per year between now and 2028-29 when the agreement ends. Should he back out early, as would be the case if he left for Villanova, the base terms of his contract state that he (and by extension the Wildcats) would end up on the hook for $750,000.

However, those base terms changed when former Lobos’ athletic director Eddie Nuñez departed for Houston in August 2024 due to a stipulation in Pitino’s contract that would slash the buyout numbers in half should Nuñez leave the program. As such, Villanova would only owe New Mexico $375,000 to release Pitino from his contract… pennies on the dollar compared to the $1.5 million and $1o million for Willard and Cronin, respectively.

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