Kim Caldwell is sticking around Knoxville for the foreseeable future.
Tennessee announced it reached a five-year contract extension with Caldwell on Monday, just two days after the Lady Vols were eliminated in the Sweet 16 of the women’s NCAA tournament. Caldwell will now be under contract with Tennessee through the 2030 campaign.
While Tennessee did not reveal terms of the deal, ESPN reported that Caldwell has been making $750,000 annually. Her new deal also is expected to include a raise.
"I am grateful for [athletic director Danny White's] continued trust and belief in me after a foundational first season here at Tennessee," Caldwell said in a statement. "I am very proud of our players and staff for the effort they put in and for what we accomplished together. I look forward to getting back to work, finding ways we can improve our program and continuing to take the steps necessary to compete for championships."
Caldwell was hired to take over at Tennessee last offseason, which marked her second head coaching job at the Division I level and her first at a Power conference program. She led Marshall for one season the year prior, and she led the Thundering Herd to a regular-season conference title, conference tournament title and an NCAA tournament appearance. She also won a national championship at the Division II level with Glenville State in 2022.
Caldwell took over for Kellie Harper, who was fired after five seasons with the program, with the quest to bring the team back to its dominant roots of the 1990s and 2000s. Caldwell led the Vols to a 24-10 record and got them back to the Sweet 16 to keep their remarkable NCAA tournament streak alive. The program has been to the tournament every single year since it started playing back in 1981, which is the longest active streak at the DI level. Caldwell missed just a single game after giving birth to her first child in January, too.
Tennessee was knocked out of the NCAA tournament by Texas on Saturday. It marked the program’s third Sweet 16 appearance in the last four seasons, though they’ve not made it past that round since 2016.
"From our first meeting with Kim, it was clear that she is a groundbreaking innovator destined to lead the future of women's basketball," White said in a statement. "In just one season, we experienced firsthand how her winning formula can revolutionize the game with her dynamic, high-octane offense and relentless defense. The promising future of Lady Vols basketball is in great hands ...
