Jai Lucas has agreed to a new five-year contract with the Miami Hurricanes after leading one of the biggest turnarounds in college basketball history during his first season in Coral Gables.
Miami coach Jai Lucas has agreed a new five-year contract, sources told me and @PeteThamel. Lucas led the Hurricanes to a 19-win improvement in his first season in Coral Gables, tying an NCAA record, while their 24 regular-season wins matched a program record. pic.twitter.com/D93Xng8f5o
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) August 12, 2026
Jai Lucas lands new five-year contract with Miami
The new agreement comes only one year after Miami originally hired Lucas away from Duke on a five-year contract in March of 2025. At the time, he was taking over a program that had fallen quickly from its 2023 Final Four run to a 7-24 season and last-place finish in the ACC. That reality now feels distant to where the program is today.
With Lucas leading the way, Miami finished 26-9 in his first season. The Hurricanes' 19-win improvement tied the NCAA Division I record for the largest single-season turnaround, while their 24 regular-season victories matched a program record. And when you factor in the reality of having to build a completely new roster from scratch, what Lucas did becomes even more impressive. It truly was one of the best turnarounds from any college basketball program in recent memory.
Miami returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2023 and advanced to the second round before its season ended with a loss to No. 2 seed Purdue. The Hurricanes finished the year with 26 victories after winning just 22 games over the previous two seasons.
The contract also removes one of the questions that many college basketball fans began to ask regarding his situation with Miami. Lucas came to Coral Gables with a reputation as one of the country's best recruiters, and with a stellar beginning to his head coaching career, some began to speculate about a potential move.
In the case of Miami fans, they will be very happy to hear that the possibility of Lucas leaving has been lowered. And now the focus can 100% shift to making a deep tournament run in 2027.
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