Purdue is making sure Matt Painter gets paid like one of the best coaches in the country.
The Boilermakers have amended Painter’s contract to give him a salary of $7 million for the 2026-27 season, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. That figure is a jump from $5.2 million, and the deal will rise by another $50,000 each year.
That new number should put Painter near the top of the Big Ten pay scale. He is projected to be the conference’s second-highest-paid coach behind Michigan State’s Tom Izzo, and among the sport’s Top 10 earners overall.
Painter is entering his 22nd season at Purdue, and the résumé behind this raise is hard to argue with. He has taken the Boilermakers to the NCAA Tournament 17 times, including the run to the Final Four and national title game during the 2023-24 season, before Purdue fell to UConn.
The long list of accomplishments keeps going. Painter, a former Purdue player under Gene Keady, owns a 501-224 record as the school’s head coach. His teams have won five regular-season Big Ten titles and three conference tournament championships, and Purdue has reached the NCAA Tournament in each of the past six seasons.
Purdue also closed the 2025-26 season at 30-9 and made it to the Elite Eight before losing to Arizona.
Next up, the Boilermakers will open the 2026-27 season against Gonzaga on Monday, Nov. 2.
The game is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT, truTV and HBO Max.
In Other News...
Purdue's Bye Week Reset Faces A Road Test That Could Say Plenty
Purdue comes out of its bye week with a chance to turn a little rest into something more meaningful, and the timing feels right for a road game that could reveal plenty about where this team really stands. The Boilermakers are 3-4 overall and 2-2 in Big Ten play, while Penn State is also 3-4 and still searching for its first league win under Matt Campbell, which gives this matchup a little more urgency than the records alone might suggest.
The break gave Purdue time to recover from injuries and sort through some recent uneven play, and there are a few key areas that could decide whether that reset pays off. Penn State has had trouble in the red zone and against the run, while Purdue has its own issues to clean up in those same spaces, making this the kind of game where one or two drives could swing the day and say a lot about how far the Boilermakers have come since their last outing. [Read more 🡒]
Purdues Final Tune-Up Exposed A Scoring Problem Fans Cant Ignore
Purdues final preseason test against No. 4 UConn offered an unflinching look at where the offense stands heading into the real thing. The Boilermakers fell 76-53, shot just 38.7% from the field and never found much rhythm against a defense that crowded the floor and turned transition into a problem. C.J. Cox led Purdue with 18 points, but the game also underscored how much the young supporting cast still has to learn before Big Ten play settles in.
Daniel Jacobsen was one of the clearer bright spots, giving Purdue a presence inside and showing signs of growth on the defensive end while helping with blocks and rebounds. Even so, the broader concern was hard to miss as the smaller lineups struggled to hold up against UConns length, pace and pressure. For a team that is expected to contend, the final tune-up left behind more questions about scoring balance and shot-making than answers. [Read more 🡒]
Matt Painter Sent Purdue An Early Warning After Ugly UConn Loss
Purdues exhibition against No. 4 UConn offered an early look at where the Boilermakers still have work to do before the games start counting. The 76-53 loss was especially rough on the perimeter and on the glass, and Matt Painter came away with a clear sense that his team has to get tougher, cleaner and more disciplined in the next stretch of practices if it wants to be ready for the regular season.
Painter also had reason to take note of some individual performances, especially from younger players who are still adjusting to the speed and physicality of high-level college basketball. Even in a game that exposed several flaws, there were a few spots worth building on, but the bigger takeaway was how far Purdue still has to go in turning that kind of effort into something that travels once the season begins. [Read more 🡒]