OVC Women’s Basketball Coach Salaries
Head coach and assistant coach pay at the nine Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) women’s basketball programs for 2026–27. Little Rock left the OVC on June 30, 2026, and Tennessee Tech is not in the league’s current lineup, so neither is included. Each figure is labeled with how well it is confirmed. Men’s programs: OVC men’s basketball coach salaries.
Key numbers
- Median head coach pay: about $142,500 across the nine programs (range midpoints; Morehead State shown at its predecessor’s $115,000). Midpoints run from about $106,500 (Southern Indiana) to $177,000 (SIUE).
- Two programs hired a new head coach this offseason: Morehead State (Jackie Alexander, April 9, 2026) and Lindenwood (Phil Sayers, April 15, 2026). Neither contract’s pay has been reported.
- Two coaches have contract end dates on record: Western Illinois’s JD Gravina (extended through April 30, 2030, effective May 1, 2026) and Southeast Missouri’s Briley Palmer (five-year deal through April 30, 2029).
- No women’s pay figure in the OVC is confirmed from a contract or a news report. Every figure below is an estimate or an unchecked public-records figure.
Head coach pay by school
| School | Head coach | Pay | Basis | Source | Contract / notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SIUE | Samantha Quigley Smith | $176,356–$178,208 | Reported range | Unconfirmed | Hired April 2021 |
| Lindenwood (private) | Phil Sayers | $150,000–$195,000 | Estimated range | Unconfirmed | Named April 15, 2026, after 14 seasons at Grand Valley State. Predecessor Amy Eagan: $194,275 base on IRS Form 990 (2024–25) |
| Western Illinois | JD Gravina | $150,096 | Base | Unconfirmed | Extended through April 30, 2030; entering his 16th year |
| Tennessee State | Candice Dupree | $130,000–$165,000 | Estimated range | Unconfirmed | Hired May 2024; third season in 2026–27 |
| UT Martin | Kevin McMillan | $130,000–$155,000 | Estimated range | Unconfirmed | Winningest coach in program history |
| Eastern Illinois | Marqus McGlothan | $115,000–$130,000 | Estimated range | Unconfirmed | Interim tag removed; multi-year contract; 15–5 in the OVC |
| Morehead State | Jackie Alexander | Not disclosed | — | — | Named April 9, 2026. Predecessor Ashton Feldhaus: $115,000 (2025–26) |
| Southeast Missouri | Briley Palmer | $100,000–$125,000 | Estimated range | Unconfirmed | Five-year deal through April 30, 2029; hired May 2024 |
| Southern Indiana | Rick Stein | $95,000–$118,000 | Estimated range | Unconfirmed | Program moving to full Division I eligibility |
Sorted by pay (midpoint where a range is given). Source: “Unconfirmed” means we found no contract or news report behind the figure. “Estimated range” figures are not individual salaries.
Women’s vs. men’s pay at the same school
| School | Men’s (midpoint) | Women’s (midpoint) | Men’s ÷ Women’s |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southeast Missouri | $212,500 | $112,500 | 1.9× |
| Morehead State | $215,000 (base at hire) | $115,000 (predecessor) | 1.9× |
| Tennessee State | $255,000 | $147,500 | 1.7× |
| UT Martin | $181,132 (contract) | $142,500 | 1.3× |
| Lindenwood | $202,500 | $172,500 | 1.2× |
| SIUE | $207,300 | $177,300 | 1.2× |
| Southern Indiana | $122,500 | $106,500 | 1.2× |
| Western Illinois | $152,500 | $150,096 | 1.0× |
Ratios compare estimates, so they are approximate. Eastern Illinois is omitted because its men’s coach’s pay is not disclosed. The league-wide median gap is about $205,000 (men’s) to $142,500 (women’s), about 1.4×.
What the numbers show
- The gap is modest at most schools. At five of eight schools men’s pay is within 1.3 times women’s; at Western Illinois the two are essentially equal.
- The widest gaps are at Southeast Missouri and Morehead State, where men’s pay is about 1.9 times women’s. Morehead State’s number uses its predecessor’s pay; a new contract could change it.
- Federal data shows a wider gap across all sports. Averaged across all teams, Tennessee State pays women’s-team head coaches $112,424 and men’s-team head coaches $245,927. Western Illinois pays women’s-team head coaches $51,183. See the table below.
- Lindenwood hired from inside Division II. Sayers moved from Grand Valley State (a GLIAC school) after 11 years as associate head coach, as the Lions complete their Division I reclassification.
Assistant coach pay
| School | Title | Salary | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Illinois | Assistant Coach and Operations | $45,000–$62,000 | Estimated range |
| Lindenwood | Associate Head Coach | $65,000–$80,000 | Estimated range |
| Lindenwood | Assistant Coach | $50,000–$62,000 | Estimated range |
| Lindenwood | Assistant Coach | $45,000–$55,000 | Estimated range |
| Lindenwood | Assistant Coach | $42,000–$50,000 | Estimated range |
| Morehead State | Assistant Coach and Operations | $45,000–$65,000 | Estimated range |
| SIUE | Assistant Coach and Operations | $50,000–$70,000 | Estimated range |
| Southeast Missouri | Assistant Coach and Operations | $45,000–$65,000 | Estimated range |
| Southern Indiana | Assistant Coach and Operations | $42,000–$58,000 | Estimated range |
| Tennessee State | Associate Head Coach | $65,000–$82,000 | Estimated range |
| Tennessee State | Recruiting Coordinator / Director of Operations / Assistant Coach | $50,000–$65,000 | Estimated range |
| Tennessee State | Assistant Coach | $45,000–$56,000 | Estimated range |
| Tennessee State | Assistant Coach | $42,000–$52,000 | Estimated range |
| UT Martin | Associate Head Coach | $60,000–$75,000 | Estimated range |
| UT Martin | Assistant Coach | $45,000–$56,000 | Estimated range |
| UT Martin | Assistant Coach | $45,000–$55,000 | Estimated range |
| UT Martin | Assistant Coach | $42,000–$52,000 | Estimated range |
| UT Martin | Director of Operations | $38,000–$48,000 | Estimated range |
| Western Illinois | Assistant Coach and Operations | $45,000–$62,000 | Estimated range |
“Estimated range” is a market range compiled from public records and school disclosures that we could not match to individual salaries or contracts. Treat these as approximate. Staff pay data for women’s programs is thinner than for men’s; several schools have only one figure.
School-wide averages (federal data)
Every college that offers athletics reports average coach pay to the U.S. Department of Education. These are averages per full-time coach across all women’s teams at each school (2024–25 reporting year), not basketball only and not individual salaries.
| School | Average head coach, women’s teams | Average assistant coach, women’s teams |
|---|---|---|
| Tennessee State | $112,424 | $44,757 |
| UT Martin | $96,137 | $39,959 |
| SIUE | $95,345 | $45,345 |
| Lindenwood (private) | $94,473 | $40,807 |
| Southern Indiana | $84,011 | $43,389 |
| Eastern Illinois | $82,515 | $72,362 |
| Southeast Missouri | $82,398 | $38,788 |
| Morehead State | $58,102 | $19,755 |
| Western Illinois | $51,183 | $36,432 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act data, 2024–25 (ope.ed.gov/athletics).
Data notes
- Eight of nine member schools are public universities, so contracts are public records, but most are not posted online. Lindenwood is private and does not publish pay; its predecessor figure is from tax filings.
- All head coach figures are estimated ranges or unchecked public-records figures. Eastern Illinois, Western Illinois and SIUE figures come from state payroll records compiled for this report, which we could not verify.
- Little Rock (left for the United Athletic Conference) and Tennessee Tech are not covered.
Photo: Skyhawk Arena at UT Martin, an OVC home court. Jonrmart2016, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Related
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- WIAC (Division III) men’s · WIAC (Division III) women’s
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