UCF extends Johnny Dawkins through 2028-29 season
UCF has signed men’s basketball coach Johnny Dawkins to a new three-year contract that will run through the 2028-29 season, athletics director Terry Mohajir announced Thursday.
Dawkins had one year remaining on his previous contract, and the new agreement supersedes that deal. Terms of the contract, including salary and buyout information, were not immediately released.
The extension comes after Dawkins led UCF to one of the best seasons in program history, guiding the Knights to the NCAA Tournament and just the second at-large berth in school history.
UCF earned a No. 10 seed and faced No. 7 seed UCLA in Philadelphia, where the Knights’ season ended with a narrow 75-71 loss to the Bruins.
“I want to thank President Alexander N. Cartwright and Vice President and Director of Athletics Terry Mohajir for their continued belief in our vision for UCF men’s basketball,” Dawkins said in a statement. “What we accomplished this season was a testament to the hard work of our student-athletes, coaches and staff as we continue establishing ourselves in the Big 12.
“I’m proud of the progress we’ve made and excited about where this program is headed. UCF has become home for my family, and I’m committed to continuing to build a program that our university and fans can be proud of.”
The Knights opened the 2025-26 season with a 12-1 start, the best under Dawkins, and carried that momentum into Big 12 play. UCF finished 9-9 in the league, its best conference mark since joining the Big 12 ahead of the 2023-24 season.
UCF finished the year 21-12 overall, marking the second consecutive 20-win season under Dawkins.
Dawkins was also named the winner of the 2026 Jim Phelan Award, which is presented annually to the nation’s top Division I head coach.
“Johnny has led our men’s basketball program with outstanding poise and class,” Mohajir said in a statement. “The stability and continuity he has provided have been, in my opinion, a major reason for the program’s growth. As a result, we’re excited to extend his contract.
“He is a strong leader and an outstanding role model for our young men. Johnny is highly deserving of this extension, and we’re excited about the future of UCF men’s basketball under his leadership.”
Dawkins arrived at UCF in 2016 and has helped guide the program through multiple stages of growth, from its time in the American Athletic Conference to its transition into the Big 12.
He previously led UCF to the NCAA Tournament in 2019, when the Knights earned a No. 9 seed, defeated No. 8 seed VCU in the first round and came within one basket of knocking off No. 1 seed Duke in the Round of 32.
Dawkins is 189-132 in 10 seasons at UCF. He has led the Knights to the postseason in six of the nine seasons in which postseason play was held, with the 2020 postseason canceled due to COVID.
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