Girls’s faculty basketball has noticed exponential progress in viewership, talent, and competitiveness over the past decade. While using the elevated reputation and industrial good results on the sport, especially in NCAA Division I plans, coaching salaries have risen to reflect the value and Management these top rated-tier coaches provide to their teams and universities. As universities continue to speculate inside their Girls’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 basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing don't just their outstanding salaries but in addition the achievements that justify their elite compensation.
one. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Believed Annual Income: $3.one million
Dawn Staley continues to be the gold typical in Females’s college basketball coaching. A previous WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has constructed South Carolina right into a perennial powerhouse. Given that taking on the program in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to many NCAA Last 4 appearances and two national championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she designed headlines by signing a historic 7-yr, $22.four million agreement, earning her the highest-paid out Black head mentor in Females's college basketball historical past. That offer has because been restructured and extended with efficiency incentives, positioning her firmly at the top of this listing.
two. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Approximated Yearly Income: $2.9 million
A residing legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to your jaw-dropping eleven national titles. His tenure at UConn, which started in 1985, has remodeled This system into one of the most dominant dynasties in university basketball heritage—Adult males's or Ladies’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and regular general performance have ensured rewarding agreement renewals. His recent deal features a foundation income, media obligations, apparel offers, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Match runs. When UConn has confronted recent difficulties with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership preserve his worth substantial.
3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana State University (LSU)
Estimated Once-a-year Income: $two.7 million
Right after An effective two-decade run at Baylor, where she won a few nationwide titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball planet by becoming a member of LSU in 2021. In just her next time with the Tigers, she led them to the 2023 countrywide championship, bringing a completely new stage of excitement and spotlight to Baton Rouge.
Her superior-profile arrival arrived by using a worthwhile 8-year, $23.six million contract, creating her one of the best-paid out Females’s coaches ever. Noted for her passionate coaching design, flamboyant fashion, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Women of all ages's hoops.
four. Brenda Frese – University of Maryland
Approximated Annual Income: $1.four million
Brenda Frese has quietly designed a design of consistency at Maryland since taking on in 2002. With several meeting championships, a nationwide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Tournament appearances, Frese has saved the Terrapins in nationwide rivalry for over twenty years.
Her extended-time period affect and improvement of top rated-tier talent have manufactured her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic department. Her recent offer contains bonuses for tutorial efficiency, wins, and postseason achievements—illustrating her dual motivation to athletics and university student advancement.
five. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford College
Believed Annual Wage: $one.three million
Tara VanDerveer is not simply amongst the best-paid coaches and also the winningest mentor in NCAA Ladies's basketball record. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time get report and it has led Stanford to 3 countrywide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and diverse Final Four appearances.
Although VanDerveer has not been a person to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are appropriately compensated. Her leadership, advancement of WNBA stars, and motivation to excellence have solidified her position Amongst the all-time greats in coaching history.
A Altering Landscape in Females's Basketball
The rising salaries of those coaches are reflective with the escalating popularity and monetary viability of women’s university basketball. Plans are attracting far more nationwide Television offers, ticket revenue are growing, and corporate sponsors are getting to be extra invested in Women of all ages's sporting activities.
The rise in coaching salaries is not only an indication of development—it’s a recognition on the labor, Management, and success these coaches convey for their plans and the sport in general.
Honorable Mentions
When these five coaches currently guide the best way with regards to earnings, a number of others are on the rise:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Every single of such coaches has manufactured considerable strides with their respective programs and will break in the prime 5 in the coming years as Gals's basketball continues to improve.
Last Views
The days of underfunded Gals’s applications 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. Given that the sport carries on to mature in reputation and aid, we are able to be expecting M88 these salaries—and also the profiles of those leaders—to carry on increasing.
Girls’s college basketball isn’t just retaining speed—it’s location the pace for the future of competitive sports activities.