Kellie Harper salary: How much did former Tennessee women's HC make? Contract structure and pay details explored

Kellie Harper, who was fired after five seasons leading the Tennessee Lady Volunteers on Monday, was the 12th-highest-paid women's college basketball coach in the nation, according to Front Office Sports.

Harper's overall record at Tennessee was 108-52. During her tenure, the Lady Vols never came above third in the Southeastern Conference and never went beyond the Sweet 16 in their NCAA Tournament appearances.

How much did Kellie Harper make at Tennessee?

Harper earned $1.1 million per season at Tennessee and had a contract through April 2028, according to the Knoxville (Tennessee) News and Front Office Sports.

Harper is in line for a hefty severance pay, as her buyout is expected to be $2,222,916, the newspaper reported. However, that amount was half of what UT would have had to pay had the school not waited for the figure to drop on Monday.

Why did Tennessee fire Kellie Harper?

Despite Kellie Harper's respectable record of 108-52 overall and 53-24 in SEC play, the Vols want to return to the highest echelons of the sport.

Harper is the second coach hired to replace the iconic Pat Summitt. First was Holly Warlick, who was a long-time assistant to Summitt. Even though the Lady Vols won the conference tournament twice in the first three seasons under Warlick, the school parted ways with her in 2019.

Replacing Summitt, who retired in 2012 and died in 2016, is a monumental task. The Tennessee native led the Lady Vols to eight national championships, 18 Final Fours and seven other Elite Eight appearances as well as 16 regular-season and 16 tournament titles in the SEC. Plus, UT had four top three finishes in the AIAW, the precursor to the NCAA.

Adding to the pressure of replacing Summitt is the fact that South Carolina, under Dawn Staley, and LSU, under Kim Mulkey, have emerged as the SEC's titans and national powers since Summitt's retirement as UT has faded, relative to its own lofty standards.

The Gamecocks have won three national titles since 2017 and are back in the Final Four as the No. 1 overall seed. LSU won its first national championship last season and plays in the Elite Eight on Monday night. Plus, Mississippi State reached the title game in 2017 and 2018.

Tennessee last won a national championship in 2008, when the Lady Vols repeated. That's also the last time UT was in the Final Four.

Harper was a successful player for the Tennessee Lady Volunteers between 1995 and 1999, helping Pat Summitt win three national titles.

“After a thorough review of our women’s basketball program, I have informed Kellie we are making a change in leadership," UT athletic director Danny White said in a statement. "Decisions like these are never easy to make, especially with someone who has done so much for the Lady Vols as a three-time national champion student-athlete.

"Her love and passion for Tennessee and the Lady Vols is second to none. She has invested so much heart and soul into our program and truly has given her all for Tennessee.”

Kellie Harper issued a statement about her departure:

“It has been an honor to serve at my alma mater and to coach a Lady Vol program I love so dearly, I am grateful for the opportunity my staff and I have had to lead an amazing group of young women and to mentor them on the court as well as provide them with life skills that will benefit them far beyond the game of basketball.”