Women of all ages’s faculty basketball has noticed exponential progress in viewership, talent, and competitiveness over the past decade. Along with the increased recognition and commercial achievement from the sport, 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 in their women’s athletics departments, a few standout coaches are reaping the economical benefits that include creating powerhouse packages.
Right here’s a look at the 5 optimum-paid Ladies’s college basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing don't just their outstanding salaries and also the achievements that justify their elite compensation.
one. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Believed Yearly Salary: $three.1 million
Dawn Staley proceeds for being the gold regular in women’s faculty basketball coaching. A former WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has crafted South Carolina into a perennial powerhouse. Because 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 built headlines by signing a historic 7-12 months, $22.four million agreement, earning her the very best-compensated Black head coach in Gals's university basketball record. That deal has due to the fact been restructured and extended with general performance incentives, placing her firmly at the highest of the list.
2. Geno Auriemma – College of Connecticut
Believed Annual Income: $2.nine million
A residing legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to some jaw-dropping eleven national titles. His tenure at UConn, which started in 1985, has remodeled This system into Probably the most dominant dynasties in faculty basketball history—Guys's or Gals’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and constant functionality have ensured valuable deal renewals. His current contract includes a base income, media obligations, apparel 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.seven million
Just after A prosperous two-10 years run at Baylor, in which she won three countrywide titles, Kim Mulkey stunned the basketball entire world by becoming a member of LSU in 2021. In just her next year Together with the Tigers, she led them into a 2023 national championship, bringing a brand new amount of pleasure and spotlight to Baton Rouge.
Her high-profile arrival arrived by using a worthwhile 8-calendar year, $23.6 million contract, earning her considered one of the very best-paid Gals’s coaches ever. Noted for her passionate coaching model, flamboyant style, 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 constructed a product of consistency at Maryland since taking up in 2002. With multiple convention championships, a national title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Match appearances, Frese has kept the Terrapins in nationwide rivalry for over twenty years.
Her lengthy-time period effect and enhancement of prime-tier expertise have created her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Office. Her present offer includes bonuses for educational performance, wins, and postseason accomplishment—illustrating her twin commitment to athletics and college student development.
5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Approximated Once-a-year Income: $1.3 million
Tara VanDerveer is not merely amongst the highest-paid coaches and also the winningest mentor in NCAA women's basketball background. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time earn history and it has led Stanford to three national titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and numerous Ultimate Four appearances.
Even though VanDerveer hasn't been one to chase flashy M88 contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are appropriately compensated. Her leadership, advancement of WNBA stars, and dedication to excellence have solidified her area Among the many all-time greats in coaching record.
A Changing Landscape in Ladies's Basketball
The escalating salaries of those coaches are reflective in the increasing level of popularity and money viability of girls’s faculty basketball. Courses are attracting extra countrywide Tv set specials, ticket profits are raising, and corporate sponsors have become much more invested in Ladies's sports.
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 people are rising:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Just about every of these coaches has built major strides with their respective applications and will break into your best 5 in the coming decades as Females's basketball proceeds to expand.
Remaining Ideas
The times of underfunded Females’s courses and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not merely command superior salaries—Additionally they mentor generations of athletes, condition the culture of their universities, and elevate Gals’s basketball to new heights. Because the sport proceeds to develop in level of popularity and assistance, we could expect these salaries—along with the profiles of such 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.