OVC Men’s Basketball Coach Salaries
Head coach and assistant coach pay at the nine Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) men’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. Women’s programs: OVC women’s basketball coach salaries.
Key numbers
- Median head coach pay: about $205,000 across the eight programs with a figure (range midpoints). Midpoints run from about $122,500 (Southern Indiana) to $255,000 (Tennessee State).
- One salary is confirmed from a contract: UT Martin’s Jeremy Shulman earns a $181,131.60 base. Morehead State’s Jonathan Mattox was reported at $215,000 base plus $20,000 in media-rights pay at hire.
- Contract end dates are public for five coaches: Eastern Illinois (2028–29), Southeast Missouri (April 30, 2030), UT Martin (March 31, 2030), Tennessee State (2031) and Morehead State (2028 or 2029–30, depending on the source).
- We found no men’s head coach change among the nine programs this offseason. The two OVC head coaching hires we found (Morehead State and Lindenwood) were on the women’s side.
Head coach pay by school
| School | Head coach | Pay | Basis | Source | Contract / notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee State | Nolan Smith | $225,000–$285,000 | Estimated range | Unconfirmed | Extended through 2031 in April 2026 after winning the OVC Tournament in his first season |
| Morehead State | Jonathan Mattox | $215,000 + $20,000 media pay | Base, at hire | News report | April 2024 contract. The Board of Regents approved an extension through March 31, 2028; another report says 2029–30. Extension pay not found |
| Southeast Missouri | Brad Korn | $190,000–$235,000 | Estimated range | Unconfirmed | Extension through April 30, 2030 (July 2025) |
| SIUE | Brian Barone | $204,569–$209,938 | Reported range | Unconfirmed | Eighth season; extension through at least 2025–26 confirmed |
| Lindenwood (private) | Kyle Gerdeman | $180,000–$225,000 | Estimated range | Unconfirmed | Hired 2019; private school does not publish pay |
| UT Martin | Jeremy Shulman | $181,131.60 | Base | Contract | Term through March 31, 2030, effective July 1, 2025. News releases say the extension runs through 2031 |
| Eastern Illinois | Marty Simmons | Not disclosed | — | — | Extended through 2028–29 in April 2026. Last reported pay: $167,063 in 2022 |
| Western Illinois | Chad Boudreau | $145,000–$160,000 | Estimated range | Unconfirmed | Named interim April 2023, then permanent |
| Southern Indiana | Stan Gouard | $110,000–$135,000 | Estimated range | Unconfirmed | Hired April 2020; program moving to full Division I eligibility |
Sorted by pay (midpoint where a range is given). Source: “Contract” means the signed contract was read; “News report” means a news outlet reported the figure; “Unconfirmed” means we found no document or report behind it. “Estimated range” figures are not individual salaries.
What the numbers show
- Shulman’s contract shows what a base-only deal looks like. His $181,131.60 base is fixed: it does not rise with state across-the-board or merit raises, and it is subject to the same furlough and salary-reduction measures as other exempt employees.
- Pay is tightly grouped. Five of the eight midpoints fall between $180,000 and $215,000. Only Tennessee State sits well above that band.
- Extensions are being signed early. Tennessee State, Eastern Illinois and Southeast Missouri each extended their coach within the last 16 months.
- Federal data points the same way. Averaged across all men’s teams, Tennessee State ($245,927) and Southeast Missouri ($214,704) pay head coaches the most in the league; Southern Indiana ($98,056) pays the least. See the table below.
Assistant coach pay
| School | Title | Salary | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Illinois | Assistant Coach | $60,000–$75,000 | Estimated range |
| Eastern Illinois | Assistant Coach | $52,000–$65,000 | Estimated range |
| Eastern Illinois | Assistant Coach | $50,000–$62,000 | Estimated range |
| Eastern Illinois | Assistant Coach | $45,000–$56,000 | Estimated range |
| Lindenwood | Associate Head Coach | $75,000–$95,000 | Estimated range |
| Lindenwood | Assistant Coach | $55,000–$68,000 | Estimated range |
| Lindenwood | Assistant Coach | $50,000–$62,000 | Estimated range |
| Lindenwood | Assistant Coach | $45,000–$55,000 | Estimated range |
| Morehead State | Associate Head Coach | $75,000–$95,000 | Estimated range |
| Morehead State | Assistant Coach | $55,000–$70,000 | Estimated range |
| Morehead State | Assistant Coach | $52,000–$66,000 | Estimated range |
| Morehead State | Assistant Coach | $48,000–$60,000 | Estimated range |
| Morehead State | Assistant / Operations | $40,000–$50,000 | Estimated range |
| SIUE | Associate Head Coach | $78,000–$98,000 | Estimated range |
| SIUE | Assistant Coach | $58,000–$72,000 | Estimated range |
| SIUE | Assistant Coach | $52,000–$65,000 | Estimated range |
| SIUE | Assistant Coach | $48,000–$60,000 | Estimated range |
| SIUE | Special Assistant to the Head Coach | $45,000–$58,000 | Estimated range |
| Southeast Missouri | Associate Head Coach | $75,000–$95,000 | Estimated range |
| Southeast Missouri | Assistant Coach | $60,000–$75,000 | Estimated range |
| Southeast Missouri | Assistant Coach | $55,000–$68,000 | Estimated range |
| Southeast Missouri | Assistant Coach / Director of Operations | $48,000–$60,000 | Estimated range |
| Southeast Missouri | Video and Player Development | $38,000–$48,000 | Estimated range |
| Southern Indiana | Assistant Coach | $50,000–$65,000 | Estimated range |
| Southern Indiana | Assistant Coach | $48,000–$60,000 | Estimated range |
| Southern Indiana | Assistant Coach | $45,000–$56,000 | Estimated range |
| Southern Indiana | Assistant Coach | $42,000–$52,000 | Estimated range |
| Tennessee State | Assistant Coach | $85,000–$110,000 | Estimated range |
| Tennessee State | Assistant Coach | $75,000–$95,000 | Estimated range |
| Tennessee State | Assistant Coach | $70,000–$88,000 | Estimated range |
| Tennessee State | Assistant Coach / Director of Operations | $55,000–$70,000 | Estimated range |
| Tennessee State | Executive Director of Strategy and Innovation | $50,000–$65,000 | Estimated range |
| UT Martin | Assistant Coach / Director of Basketball Operations | $50,000–$65,000 | Estimated range |
| UT Martin | Assistant Coach | $48,000–$65,000 | Estimated range |
| Western Illinois | Assistant Coach | $55,000–$68,000 | Estimated range |
| Western Illinois | Assistant Coach | $50,000–$62,000 | Estimated range |
| Western Illinois | Assistant Coach | $48,000–$58,000 | Estimated range |
| Western Illinois | Assistant Coach | $45,000–$55,000 | Estimated range |
| Western Illinois | Director of Operations | $38,000–$48,000 | 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. No assistant coach contracts were available for this conference.
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 men’s teams at each school (2024–25 reporting year), not basketball only and not individual salaries.
| School | Average head coach, men’s teams | Average assistant coach, men’s teams |
|---|---|---|
| Tennessee State | $245,927 | $87,331 |
| Southeast Missouri | $214,704 | $57,900 |
| UT Martin | $150,795 | $48,306 |
| Lindenwood (private) | $137,586 | $46,773 |
| Western Illinois | $124,760 | $34,227 |
| Eastern Illinois | $120,015 | $89,030 |
| Morehead State | $112,664 | $34,195 |
| SIUE | $112,093 | $53,094 |
| Southern Indiana | $98,056 | $44,492 |
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. UT Martin’s is: the University of Tennessee publishes its coaches’ employment agreements. Lindenwood is private and does not publish pay.
- Most head coach figures are estimated ranges compiled from public records and school disclosures that we could not check against contracts. Only Shulman’s salary was read from a contract.
- Little Rock (left for the United Athletic Conference) and Tennessee Tech are not covered.
Photo: SIUE (OVC) at Air Force, Nov. 2025. Ray Bahner, U.S. Air Force (U.S. government work, public domain), via Wikimedia Commons; cropped.
Related
- OVC women’s basketball coach salaries
- MAC men’s · MAC women’s
- Big Ten men’s · Big Ten women’s
- GLIAC (Division II) men’s · GLIAC (Division II) women’s
- Horizon League men’s · Horizon League women’s
- WIAC (Division III) men’s · WIAC (Division III) women’s
- College basketball coach salaries by conference
- Search the college basketball coach salary database
