Females’s faculty basketball has seen exponential development in viewership, talent, and competitiveness over the past decade. With the improved acceptance and business results with the sport, especially in NCAA Division I applications, coaching salaries have risen to reflect the worth and Management these top rated-tier coaches provide to their teams and universities. As universities carry on to speculate inside their Gals’s athletics departments, a few standout coaches are reaping the financial benefits that include making powerhouse packages.
Listed here’s a look at the 5 optimum-paid out 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
Approximated Annual Wage: $three.1 million
Dawn Staley carries on to become the gold typical in Gals’s faculty basketball coaching. A former WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has crafted South Carolina into a perennial powerhouse. Since taking up This system in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to several NCAA Remaining 4 appearances and two national championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she designed headlines by signing a historic 7-yr, $22.four million contract, generating her the highest-paid out Black head mentor in Females's college or university basketball historical past. That offer has because been restructured and prolonged with functionality incentives, positioning her firmly at the top of this listing.
two. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Estimated Yearly Income: $2.9 million
A residing legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to the jaw-dropping 11 national titles. His tenure at UConn, which started in 1985, has remodeled This system into Probably the most dominant dynasties in faculty basketball record—Males's or Girls’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and dependable overall performance have ensured beneficial deal renewals. His present-day deal features a foundation income, media obligations, clothing deals, and significant bonuses tied to NCAA Tournament operates. Whilst UConn has faced current issues with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership preserve his worth large.
3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana State College (LSU)
Believed Once-a-year Income: $two.7 million
Soon after An effective two-decade run at Baylor, where she received a few nationwide titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball globe by joining LSU in 2021. In only her next year Together with the Tigers, she led them into a 2023 national championship, bringing a brand new level of pleasure and spotlight to Baton Rouge.
Her higher-profile arrival arrived which has a beneficial 8-year, $23.six million agreement, producing her certainly one of the best-paid out Females’s coaches ever. Noted for her passionate coaching design, flamboyant fashion, and championship pedigree, M88 Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Women of all ages's hoops.
4. Brenda Frese – College of Maryland
Approximated Annual Wage: $1.4 million
Brenda Frese has quietly constructed a product of consistency at Maryland since taking up in 2002. With numerous convention championships, a national title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Event appearances, Frese has stored the Terrapins in countrywide contention for more than 20 years.
Her lengthy-expression affect and development of major-tier talent have made her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Division. Her present-day deal features bonuses for academic general performance, wins, and postseason achievements—illustrating her dual determination to athletics and college student enhancement.
5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford College
Estimated Yearly Salary: $1.3 million
Tara VanDerveer is not simply certainly one of the best-paid coaches and also the winningest mentor in NCAA Ladies's basketball historical past. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time gain record and has led Stanford to a few nationwide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and diverse Closing 4 appearances.
While VanDerveer has never been just one to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are correctly compensated. Her Management, development of WNBA stars, and commitment to excellence have solidified her spot One of the all-time greats in coaching heritage.
A Transforming Landscape in Women of all ages's Basketball
The growing salaries of these coaches are reflective from the developing acceptance and fiscal viability of ladies’s faculty basketball. Systems are attracting additional nationwide Tv set discounts, ticket income are rising, and corporate sponsors are becoming 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 good results these coaches deliver for their systems along with the sport in general.
Honorable Mentions
When these five coaches currently guide the best way with regards to earnings, several Many others are going up:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Each and every of such coaches has designed considerable strides with their respective programs and will break in the best 5 in the coming decades as Girls's basketball proceeds to increase.
Final Feelings
The times of underfunded Girls’s applications and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not simply command higher salaries—In addition they mentor generations of athletes, shape the tradition in their universities, and elevate Ladies’s basketball to new heights. As being the sport carries on to mature in reputation and aid, we will hope these salaries—as well as the profiles of such leaders—to carry on increasing.
Gals’s college basketball isn’t just trying to keep rate—it’s setting the pace for the future of competitive athletics.