The University of Georgia announced on Friday that women’s basketball head coach Joni Taylor will receive a contract extension through the 2026-27 season. Taylor will also receive a $100,000 raise to bump her salary to $850,000.

In Taylor’s sixth season leading the program, Georgia exceeded expectations as it went 21-7 and 10-5 in SEC play. Taylor’s contract was originally set to expire at the conclusion of the 2024 season.

“Georgia is a special place,” Taylor said in a statement. “This is our home, and Darius and I have fallen in love with the Athens community and the wonderful people we get to surround ourselves with every day, both professionally and personally. Today’s announcement continues the positive momentum we built over this last season. I am surrounded by excellence — from our players to our coaches and support staff. There are so many people who give so much to this program, and I am forever grateful to them.”

The Lady Bulldogs finished fourth in the SEC this year after being projected to finish ninth in the preseason standings. Georgia swept Tennessee for the first time since the 1984-85 season, advanced to the SEC championship game after beating No. 2 Texas A&M and earned a No. 3 seed in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Georgia lost in the second round of the tournament to the Oregon Ducks.

Taylor also won the SEC Coach of the Year award and is one of four finalists for the National Coach of the Year award. Taylor has made the NCAA tournament in three of her six seasons running the Georgia program.

“Georgia Lady Bulldog basketball has a rich history and tradition,” Georgia Athletic Director Josh Brooks said. “Under Coach Taylor’s leadership, we repositioned ourselves as a national force this year.  With our current and incoming talent, this is just the beginning of our sustained competitive success.

“As the ideal Georgia ambassador, Coach Taylor embodies all of the intangibles in providing exemplary leadership and mentorship. The women’s basketball student-athlete experience at UGA is first class because of Coach Taylor’s commitment to excellence in all that we do.”

Taylor is 119-65 as the head coach at Georgia. She took over the program in 2015 from Andy Landers.