The news of Coach John Cook‘s retirement and Dani Busboom Kelly‘s appointment as his replacement happened nearly simultaneously. While the two massive surprise announcements caught everyone off guard, as the reality sinks in, other details of the new Huskers head coach have come to light. One such detail is Dani Busboom Kelly’s salary upgrade.

The woman who put the Louisville volleyball program on the map has earned quite a salary upgrade in Nebraska. In fact, the former Nebraska Huskers assistant coach has nearly doubled her base salary. However, as someone whose resume is not yet a match for the legendary John Cook, DBK’s base salary is still lower than what the 68-year-old earned.

“JUST IN: Nebraska volleyball’s new head coach Dani Busboom Kelly will start at a base salary of $700,000 in her six-year contract with the Huskers,” HukserOnline reporter Abby Barmore posted on X. She also added how much the base salary will grow in the next years. “It will grow to $825,000 in 2030. She made $400,000 as a base at Louisville in 2022,” added Barmore.

While this is slightly less than the $725,000 base salary Cook earned in 2023 according to Badgers Extra, she’s also eligible for bonuses and incentives. DBK can bag an additional $50,000 for winning the conference title, and $100,000 for Coach of the Year and National titles respectively, as per Sports Illustrated. Such a massive deal makes Kelly the most valuable coach transfer in recent memory.

Dani Busboom Kelly’s fellow coach Matt Ulmer recently made headlines after jumping ship to Kansas on a $2.325 million, six-year contract. Ulmer spent eight years with the Oregon Ducks before making the high-profile switch. However, his contract fades in comparison with DBK’s $4.575 million six-year contract with the Huskers. Yet, how does it stack up with other top coaches in the NCAA?

Is Dani Busboom Kelly in a league of her own now?

The $300,000 base salary bump the former Louisville Cardinals coach earned has now catapulted her to the top. However, while she may sport the highest base salary after John Cook’s departure, the former AVCA Coach of the Year is set to become the second-highest-paid volleyball coach in the NCAA. The #1 spot still belongs to Texas Longhorns coach Jerritt Elliott.

While Elliot earns a lower base salary than Dani Busboom Kelly, he earns an additional $300,000. Huskers Illustrated’s Lincoln Arneal shed light on Elliott’s earnings. “Texas coach Jerritt Elliott’s base pay is $500,000, but he also receives $300,000 a year for ‘Professional Services’  such as personal appearances, interviews, coaching shows,” reported Arneal.

The contract also makes DBK the fourth highest-paid coach at Nebraska. She’s far behind Cornhuskers’ football coach Matt Rhule’s $6.5 million (per season), and men’s basketball coach Fred Hoiberg’s $4.25 million, but much closer to women’s basketball coach Amy Williams’s $950,000. However, it’s important to note that DBK is a far younger coach than the legend she has replaced.

DBK turned Louisville from conference title contenders to NCAA title contenders in just eight seasons. Meanwhile, John Cook built Nebraska into one of the best teams in college volleyball through 25 seasons. So considering everything, Dani Busboom Kelly’s $700,000 base salary sounds quite impressive. Do you agree? Let us know in the comments.