Virginia basketball’s Ryan Odom gets massive new contract extension after 30-win season

One of the biggest surprises to come out of college basketball in 2026 was Virginia. Under the watchful eye of coach Ryan Odom in his first year, Virginia finished the season at 30-6 and 15-3 in the ACC.

Because of those efforts, Odom was on the receiving end of a hefty contract extension, per
Matt Norlander of CBS Sports. The deal will run through the 2031-32 season and will also include a sizable pay increase for the coaching staff.

After Odom and company defied the odds, the Cavaliers would meet Duke in the ACC Conference Championship game before losing 74-70. Ultimately, Virginia earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament. They defeated Wright State in the first round and lost to Tennessee in the second round 79-72.

Odom has been coaching since 1996-97, when he was a graduate assistant at South Florida. From there, Odom took assistant coaching stints at UNC Asheville, American, Virginia Tech, and Charlotte, where he began as head coach in 2015.

Since 2015, he has coached at Lenoir–Rhyne, UMBC, Utah State, and VCU before landing at Virginia in 2025.

This season, Virginia will retain some notable players. Sam Lewis, Chance Mallory, Johann Grünloh, and Thijs De Ridder.

The Belgian forward De Ridder led the team in scoring and rebounding at 15.6 points and 6.17 rebounds per game.

The 6’7 Lewis averaged 10.6 points per game last year while shooting 40.3% from the 3-point line. The sophmore point guard Mallory is coming back after averaging 3.4 assists and 1.58 steals per game.

Meanwhile, the German center Grünloh will look to build off a season in which he commanded the paint with a flourish, with 80 blocks.

In the transfer portal, Virginia brought on Big West Freshman of the Year Jurian Dixon

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