Ladies’s higher education basketball has seen exponential development in viewership, talent, and competitiveness over the past decade. Along with the increased recognition and industrial good results on the sport, especially in NCAA Division I plans, coaching salaries have risen to reflect the worth and Management these top rated-tier coaches provide to their teams and universities. As universities carry on to speculate of their Gals’s athletics departments, a number of standout coaches are reaping the fiscal rewards that include making powerhouse packages.
Listed here’s a look at the 5 maximum-paid women’s college or university basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not simply their amazing salaries but in addition the achievements that justify their elite payment.
1. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Approximated Annual Wage: $3.one million
Dawn Staley carries on being the gold regular in women’s college or university basketball coaching. A former WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has built South Carolina into a perennial powerhouse. Because taking on the program in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to a number of NCAA Final Four appearances and two countrywide championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she manufactured headlines by signing a historic seven-yr, $22.four million deal, producing her the best-paid Black head coach in Women of all ages's university basketball record. That deal has due to the fact been restructured and prolonged with effectiveness incentives, positioning her firmly at the very best of the record.
2. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Approximated Once-a-year Salary: $2.9 million
A residing legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to the jaw-dropping 11 national titles. His tenure at UConn, which started in 1985, has reworked This system into Probably the most dominant dynasties in faculty basketball history—Guys's or Gals’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and consistent efficiency have ensured valuable contract renewals. His present agreement includes a base wage, media obligations, attire specials, and significant bonuses tied to NCAA Match runs. Even though UConn has faced modern worries with accidents and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and Management retain his price significant.
three. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Condition University (LSU)
Estimated Annual Income: $two.7 million
Soon after An effective two-10 years run at Baylor, exactly where she won three nationwide titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball earth by becoming a member of LSU in 2021. In just her second season Using the Tigers, she led them to some 2023 national championship, bringing a new level of pleasure and spotlight to Baton Rouge.
Her higher-profile arrival arrived which has a valuable eight-yr, $23.six million deal, generating her one among the highest-compensated Gals’s coaches ever. Noted for her passionate coaching type, flamboyant fashion, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in women's hoops.
four. Brenda Frese – University of Maryland
Believed Annual Income: $1.four million
Brenda Frese has quietly developed a product of consistency at Maryland because taking on in 2002. With several meeting championships, a national title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Event appearances, Frese has stored the Terrapins in countrywide contention for more than two decades.
Her very long-term impression and advancement of top-tier talent have built her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Division. Her present-day deal incorporates bonuses for academic effectiveness, wins, and postseason achievement—illustrating her dual determination to athletics and pupil progress.
five. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Estimated Yearly Income: $one.3 million
Tara VanDerveer is not merely amongst the highest-paid coaches but in addition the winningest mentor in NCAA women's basketball background. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time earn history and has led Stanford to three national titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and diverse Ultimate 4 appearances.
Though M88 VanDerveer hasn't been one particular to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are appropriately compensated. Her leadership, growth of WNBA stars, and determination to excellence have solidified her place One of the all-time greats in coaching historical past.
A Transforming Landscape in Gals's Basketball
The rising salaries of those coaches are reflective with the escalating recognition and monetary viability of women’s university basketball. Plans are attracting much more countrywide Television set deals, ticket revenue are growing, and corporate sponsors are getting to be extra invested in Gals's athletics.
The rise in coaching salaries is not just an indication of development—it’s a recognition in the labor, Management, and achievements these coaches provide to their applications and the Activity as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
While these 5 coaches at the moment lead just how with regard to earnings, many Other individuals 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 packages and could break into your prime 5 in the coming yrs as Women of all ages's basketball carries on to mature.
Ultimate Views
The days of underfunded Gals’s plans and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches don't just command large salaries—In addition they mentor generations of athletes, shape the lifestyle in their universities, and elevate Ladies’s basketball to new heights. As being the sport continues to improve in recognition and guidance, we are able to be expecting these salaries—and the profiles of those leaders—to carry on soaring.
Females’s faculty basketball isn’t just maintaining tempo—it’s placing the rate for the way forward for aggressive sports.