5 Highest-Paid Females's College or university Basketball Coaches
5 Highest-Paid Females's College or university Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Girls’s higher education basketball has found exponential growth in viewership, talent, and competitiveness over the past ten years. Together with the amplified popularity and commercial success from the Activity, specifically in NCAA Division I programs, coaching salaries have risen to replicate the worth and leadership these leading-tier coaches deliver for their groups and universities. As universities keep on to take a position within their Ladies’s athletics departments, a few standout coaches are reaping the financial benefits that come with developing powerhouse applications.
Here’s a think about the five highest-compensated Girls’s university basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not only their spectacular salaries and 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 be the gold typical in Females’s college basketball coaching. A former WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has built South Carolina into a perennial powerhouse. Since taking up This system in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to several NCAA Final Four appearances and two countrywide championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she produced headlines by signing a historic seven-calendar year, $22.4 million deal, making her the very best-compensated Black head coach in Girls's college basketball historical past. That offer has given that been restructured and prolonged with overall performance incentives, inserting her firmly at the best of this checklist.
two. Geno Auriemma – College of Connecticut
Believed Annual 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 began in 1985, has remodeled This system into One of the more dominant dynasties in school basketball heritage—Adult males's or Ladies’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and steady general performance have ensured profitable contract renewals. His existing agreement includes a base wage, media obligations, apparel bargains, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Match runs. Even though UConn has faced modern troubles with accidents and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership hold his price significant.
three. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Condition University (LSU)
Estimated Annual Income: $two.seven million
Soon after An effective two-10 years run at Baylor, in which she won three countrywide titles, Kim Mulkey stunned the basketball earth by signing up for LSU in 2021. In just her second season with the Tigers, she led them to the 2023 countrywide championship, bringing a different degree of excitement and Highlight to Baton Rouge.
Her significant-profile arrival arrived with a valuable eight-yr, $23.six million agreement, producing her certainly one of the best-paid out Females’s coaches at any time. 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
Approximated Once-a-year Wage: $one.4 million
Brenda Frese has quietly built a design of consistency at Maryland since taking up in 2002. With numerous meeting championships, a national title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Event appearances, Frese has stored the Terrapins in countrywide contention for more than twenty years.
Her prolonged-term affect and improvement of major-tier talent have designed her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic department. Her latest offer involves bonuses for tutorial efficiency, wins, and postseason achievements—illustrating her dual motivation to athletics and student growth.
five. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford College
Estimated Yearly Wage: $one.three million
Tara VanDerveer is not only one among the best-compensated coaches but additionally the winningest coach in NCAA Gals's basketball history. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time get file and it has led Stanford to 3 countrywide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and numerous Last Four appearances.
Even though VanDerveer hasn't been just one to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are properly compensated. Her Management, enhancement of WNBA stars, and commitment to excellence have solidified her location One of the all-time greats in coaching historical past.
A Transforming Landscape in Gals's Basketball
The increasing salaries of such coaches are reflective of the expanding reputation and economic viability of ladies’s university basketball. Packages are attracting far more nationwide Television offers, ticket product sales are growing, and corporate sponsors are getting to be extra invested in Women of all ages's sporting activities.
The M88 increase in coaching salaries is not only a sign of development—it’s a recognition with the labor, leadership, and success these coaches convey for their plans and also the Activity in general.
Honorable Mentions
Whilst these 5 coaches at this time direct the way concerning earnings, various Other folks are on the rise:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Each of those coaches has produced significant strides with their respective systems and could split in to the major five in the approaching a long time as Women of all ages's basketball carries on to grow.
Closing Thoughts
The days of underfunded women’s packages and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not only 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 proceeds to grow in level of popularity and assistance, we could expect these salaries—along with the profiles of such leaders—to carry on growing.
Gals’s school basketball isn’t just trying to keep rate—it’s setting the pace for the future of competitive athletics.