five Optimum-Paid out Gals's School Basketball Coaches
Girls’s college basketball has observed exponential expansion in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness over the past decade. While using the increased popularity and industrial achievement on the sport, especially in NCAA Division I applications, coaching salaries have risen to reflect the worth and Management these best-tier coaches deliver to their groups and universities. As universities keep on to take a position in their Women of all ages’s athletics departments, a handful of standout coaches are reaping the money rewards that come with setting up powerhouse systems.Listed here’s a look at the 5 maximum-paid Gals’s higher education basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not just their extraordinary salaries but will also the achievements that justify their elite compensation.
one. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Believed Yearly Income: $3.one million
Dawn Staley continues to generally be the gold common in Ladies’s college or university basketball coaching. A former WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has crafted South Carolina into a perennial powerhouse. Since taking up This system in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to several NCAA Remaining Four appearances and two nationwide championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she made headlines by signing a historic 7-calendar year, $22.4 million agreement, earning her the very best-paid out Black head mentor in Ladies's faculty basketball background. That deal has considering the fact that been restructured and extended with general performance incentives, placing her firmly at the highest of the record.
two. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Approximated Yearly Wage: $two.nine million
A dwelling legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to some jaw-dropping 11 nationwide titles. His tenure at UConn, which started in 1985, has reworked This system into Probably the most dominant dynasties in higher education basketball record—men's or Females’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and regular general performance have ensured profitable agreement renewals. His recent agreement includes a base wage, media obligations, apparel bargains, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Match runs. Although UConn has faced latest problems with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership maintain his value higher.
3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Point out College (LSU)
Approximated Yearly Salary: $2.seven million
Just after A prosperous two-10 years run at Baylor, in which she won a few countrywide titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball planet by joining LSU in 2021. In only her next period With all the Tigers, M88 she led them to some 2023 national championship, bringing a new level of pleasure and spotlight to Baton Rouge.
Her higher-profile arrival arrived that has a worthwhile 8-calendar year, $23.6 million deal, building her considered one of the highest-compensated Gals’s coaches ever. Noted for her passionate coaching type, flamboyant style, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in women's hoops.
four. Brenda Frese – University of Maryland
Approximated Annual Wage: $1.4 million
Brenda Frese has quietly constructed a product of consistency at Maryland considering the fact that taking up in 2002. With multiple convention championships, a countrywide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Match appearances, Frese has saved the Terrapins in nationwide rivalry for over 20 years.
Her long-expression impact and progress of best-tier expertise have made her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Section. Her current deal incorporates bonuses for academic effectiveness, wins, and postseason achievement—illustrating her dual motivation to athletics and student growth.
five. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford College
Estimated Annual Wage: $one.three million
Tara VanDerveer is not only among the very best-compensated coaches but also the winningest coach in NCAA Girls's basketball heritage. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time win document and has led Stanford to a few nationwide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and diverse Closing 4 appearances.
Though VanDerveer has never been a single to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are properly compensated. Her leadership, growth of WNBA stars, and motivation to excellence have solidified her put Amongst the all-time greats in coaching history.
A Altering Landscape in Females's Basketball
The increasing salaries of these coaches are reflective on the increasing attractiveness and economical viability of girls’s college or university basketball. Programs are attracting more countrywide Tv set specials, ticket profits are raising, and company sponsors have become much more invested in Ladies's sports.
The increase in coaching salaries is not simply a sign of development—it’s a recognition with the labor, leadership, and success these coaches convey to their applications and also the Activity as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
While these 5 coaches at present lead just how regarding earnings, numerous Other people are rising:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Just about every of these coaches has built important strides with their respective applications and will break in the best 5 in the coming yrs as Females's basketball proceeds to expand.
Remaining Ideas
The times of underfunded Ladies’s systems and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not just command significant salaries—they also mentor generations of athletes, form the society of their universities, and elevate Girls’s basketball to new heights. As the sport carries on to mature in acceptance and aid, we are able to be expecting these salaries—and also the profiles of those leaders—to carry on soaring.
Ladies’s faculty basketball isn’t just keeping tempo—it’s placing the speed for the way forward for aggressive sports.