five Optimum-Paid out Women of all ages's University Basketball Coaches
Girls’s faculty basketball has noticed exponential expansion in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness in the last 10 years. Using the improved acceptance and business accomplishment on the sport, especially in NCAA Division I plans, coaching salaries have risen to reflect the worth and Management these prime-tier coaches carry to their groups and universities. As universities continue on to take a position within their Females’s athletics departments, a couple of standout coaches are reaping the financial benefits that come with developing powerhouse programs.In this article’s a consider the five best-paid out Ladies’s college basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not simply their amazing salaries but additionally the achievements that justify their elite payment.
1. Dawn Staley – College of South Carolina
Approximated Once-a-year Salary: $three.1 million
Dawn Staley proceeds for being the gold standard in Gals’s university basketball coaching. A previous WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has developed 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 countrywide championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she created headlines by signing a historic seven-year, $22.4 million deal, creating her the very best-compensated Black head coach in Girls's college basketball historical past. That offer has because been restructured and extended with performance incentives, putting her firmly at the highest of the list.
2. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Approximated Yearly Income: $two.nine million
A living legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies into a jaw-dropping eleven countrywide titles. His tenure at UConn, which commenced in 1985, has reworked the program into Just about the most dominant dynasties in faculty basketball history—Males's or Girls’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and dependable performance have ensured rewarding agreement renewals. His recent agreement features a base wage, media obligations, attire discounts, 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: $two.seven million
Immediately after A prosperous two-10 years run at Baylor, in which she won a few countrywide titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball environment by joining LSU in 2021. In only her 2nd period With all the Tigers, she led them to some 2023 national championship, bringing a new amount of excitement and spotlight to Baton Rouge.
Her superior-profile arrival arrived using a profitable eight-12 months, $23.6 million deal, generating her among the highest-compensated Females’s coaches ever. Recognized for her passionate coaching fashion, flamboyant fashion, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Gals's hoops.
4. Brenda Frese – College of Maryland
Estimated Once-a-year Salary: $one.4 million
Brenda Frese has quietly crafted a design of regularity at Maryland considering that taking over in 2002. With many conference championships, a countrywide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Tournament appearances, Frese has retained the Terrapins in national competition for more than two decades.
Her very long-phrase effects and advancement of top-tier talent have built her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Division. Her latest deal involves bonuses for tutorial efficiency, wins, and postseason achievements—illustrating her dual dedication to athletics and university student improvement.
5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford College
Believed Annual Salary: $1.three million
Tara VanDerveer is don't just certainly one of the very best-paid out coaches but will also the winningest coach in NCAA Ladies's basketball heritage. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time gain record and has led Stanford to three nationwide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and diverse Closing 4 appearances.
Though VanDerveer has never been 1 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 escalating salaries of those coaches are reflective on the increasing level of popularity and economical viability of girls’s college or university basketball. Courses are attracting more countrywide Tv set specials, ticket profits are rising, and corporate sponsors have become much more invested in women's sporting activities.
The increase in coaching salaries is not simply a sign of development—it’s a recognition with the exertions, leadership, and success these coaches convey for their plans and also the Activity as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
Whilst these 5 coaches at the moment lead just how with regard to earnings, many Other individuals are on the rise:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Just about every of those coaches has made major strides with their respective plans and will break into your prime 5 in the coming decades as Girls's basketball continues to increase.
Final Feelings
The times of underfunded Females’s programs and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not merely command high salaries—Additionally they mentor generations of athletes, condition the culture of their universities, and elevate Women of all ages’s basketball to new heights. Because the Activity proceeds to develop in attractiveness and help, we could anticipate these salaries—along M88 with the profiles of such leaders—to continue growing.
Gals’s school basketball isn’t just trying to keep rate—it’s setting the pace for the future of competitive athletics.