5 Highest-Paid Females's College or university Basketball Coaches
5 Highest-Paid Females's College or university Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Women of all ages’s college or university basketball has noticed exponential development in viewership, talent, and competitiveness over the past decade. Along with the increased popularity and commercial results of your Activity, particularly in NCAA Division I systems, coaching salaries have risen to mirror the value and Management these top-tier coaches provide to their groups and universities. As universities carry on to invest of their Women of all ages’s athletics departments, a handful of standout coaches are reaping the money rewards that come with building powerhouse courses.
In this article’s a consider the five highest-compensated Girls’s higher education basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not just their impressive salaries but will also the achievements that justify their elite compensation.
1. Dawn Staley – College of South Carolina
Estimated Once-a-year Wage: $3.one million
Dawn Staley continues being the gold normal in Ladies’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 various NCAA Last 4 appearances and two nationwide championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she created headlines by signing a historic seven-12 months, $22.four million agreement, producing her the best-paid out Black head mentor in Females's college basketball historical past. That offer has given that been restructured and prolonged with efficiency incentives, inserting her firmly at the top of this checklist.
two. Geno Auriemma – College of Connecticut
Believed Annual Wage: $two.nine million
A dwelling legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to a jaw-dropping 11 nationwide titles. His tenure at UConn, which started in 1985, has transformed This system into Probably the most dominant dynasties in higher education basketball record—Males's or Girls’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and reliable performance have ensured rewarding deal renewals. His current contract includes a base income, media obligations, clothing deals, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Tournament operates. While UConn has confronted recent difficulties with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and Management keep his benefit high.
three. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Point out College (LSU)
Approximated Yearly Salary: $two.7 million
Following a successful two-decade run at Baylor, in which she gained three national titles, Kim Mulkey stunned the basketball environment by signing up for LSU in 2021. In only her 2nd period With all the Tigers, she led them into a 2023 national championship, bringing a brand new level of pleasure and Highlight to Baton Rouge.
Her substantial-profile arrival came which has a valuable eight-yr, $23.6 million deal, building her considered one of the very best-paid women’s coaches at any time. Known for her passionate coaching style, flamboyant fashion, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Females's hoops.
4. Brenda Frese – College of Maryland
Estimated Once-a-year Wage: $one.4 million
Brenda Frese has quietly constructed a product of consistency at Maryland because taking on in 2002. With a number of conference championships, a countrywide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Tournament appearances, Frese has saved the Terrapins in nationwide rivalry for over twenty years.
Her extended-term impression and development of prime-tier talent have produced her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Office. Her recent offer involves bonuses for tutorial functionality, wins, and postseason achievement—illustrating her twin determination to athletics and college student enhancement.
5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Believed Annual Income: $1.three million
Tara VanDerveer is not only one among the best-paid coaches and also the winningest mentor in NCAA Ladies's basketball historical past. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time gain document and has led Stanford to a few countrywide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and various Final Four appearances.
Even though VanDerveer hasn't been one to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are appropriately compensated. Her leadership, progress of WNBA stars, and determination to excellence have solidified her location among the all-time greats in coaching background.
A Shifting M88 Landscape in Gals's Basketball
The increasing salaries of these coaches are reflective from the developing level of popularity and economical viability of girls’s college basketball. Applications are attracting much more national TV offers, ticket revenue are escalating, and corporate sponsors are becoming much more invested in Ladies's sports.
The increase in coaching salaries is not merely an indication of progress—it’s a recognition from the hard work, Management, and results these coaches convey to their plans as well as the sport as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
Even though these five coaches at this time lead just how with regard to earnings, various Some others are going up:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Each and every of such coaches has made important strides with their respective applications and will crack in the best 5 in the approaching a long time as Girls's basketball proceeds to expand.
Remaining Thoughts
The days of underfunded Girls’s programs and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not simply command large salaries—In addition they mentor generations of athletes, form the tradition of their universities, and elevate women’s basketball to new heights. As being the Activity carries on to mature in acceptance and assistance, we could anticipate these salaries—plus the profiles of these leaders—to continue mounting.
Ladies’s faculty basketball isn’t just maintaining speed—it’s location the pace for the future of competitive athletics.