After a mightily spectacular first season on the job in Knoxville, Kim Caldwell was rewarded with a reworked contract and one-year extension by Tennessee.
Particulars of the contract weren’t accessible again in March, however paperwork obtained by SB Nation this week present that Caldwell is now one of many highest paid coaches within the SEC and the nation.
Along with her contract being prolonged by one yr by means of 2030, Caldwell’s annual base pay was raised by 33 % to $1 million.
When in comparison with teaching salaries throughout the SEC which are public, Caldwell now ranks fifth amongst the league’s coaches in base pay, and eighth in complete annual compensation. South Carolina’s Daybreak Staley ($4.2 million), LSU’s Kim Mulkey ($3.3 million) and Texas’ Vic Schaefer ($2.3 million) stay the league’s highest-paid coaches.
Throughout the nation, the pay bump makes Caldwell one of many 25 highest-paid coaches within the nation.
“From our first assembly with Kim, it was clear that she is a groundbreaking innovator destined to guide the way forward for ladies’s basketball,” Tennessee athletic director Danny White stated in a press release in March. “In only one season, we skilled firsthand how her successful components can revolutionize the sport along with her dynamic, high-octane offense and relentless protection. The promising way forward for Woman Vols basketball is in nice palms below Kim’s management, setting the stage for a outstanding journey forward.”
Underneath the route of the 36-year-old Caldwell, Tennessee went 24-10 general and 8-8 in SEC play. The Woman Vols went on to upset Ohio State on the Buckeyes’ house flooring in Columbus to make the Candy 16 of the NCAA Event.
Tennessee began the yr off on a 13-game successful streak, instantly exhibiting proof-of-concept that Caldwell’s fast-paced and urgent type could possibly be profitable on the Energy 4 stage. Beforehand, the native of Parkersburg, West Virginia, had spent one yr at Marshall the place the Herd received 26 video games and the Solar Belt title, and he or she received a nationwide championship at Division II Glenville State.
Different highlights from Caldwell’s first season on the helm of the Woman Vols included an AP High 25 rating as excessive as eleventh and their first win over rival UConn since 2007, snapping a four-game dropping streak to the Huskies. The Woman Vols additionally ranked fifth nationally in house attendance, drawing north of 10,000 followers per sport. Much more extraordinary, Caldwell coached most the season whereas pregnant.
Caldwell’s up-tempo and high-intensity helped Tennessee set SEC and program data for 3-pointers made in a single season with 343. The Woman Vols ranked third nationally in scoring and within the prime 20 in each offensive and defensive ranking.
“They did precisely what we stated we had been going to do, which was get Tennessee again into the High 25. They purchased in, they performed exhausting, they’ve been a pleasure to educate,” Caldwell stated of her staff after falling to Texas within the Candy 16 in Birmingham. “Any success that we’ve at Tennessee from right here on out is due to this staff.”
Her new contract additionally stipulates that Tennessee will present journey for Caldwell’s partner and quick members of the family at no extra value to street video games and postseason competitions. Moreover, Tennessee will present Caldwell with the usage of a non-commercial (non-public or constitution) plane for her “private, non-business journey, and/or that of Coach’s company and/or household for as much as both 10 legs or 15 hours of flight time.”
Caldwell goals to maintain constructing at Tennessee and is elevating the bar for expectations, as she’s bringing in a 2025 recruiting class heralded by many as among the many finest within the nation. It options 5 gamers that rank within the prime 60 of ESPN’s rankings, headlined by five-star level guard Mia Pauldo. By means of the switch portal, the Woman Vols additionally added Nya Robertson from SMU, Janiah Barker from UCLA and Jersey Wolfenbarger from LSU.
On paper, Tennessee seemingly has one of many extra proficient rosters within the nation.
