five Greatest-Paid Girls's College Basketball Coaches
five Greatest-Paid Girls's College Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Gals’s higher education basketball has found exponential development in viewership, talent, and competitiveness over the past 10 years. Using the amplified popularity and commercial success from the sport, specifically in NCAA Division I programs, coaching salaries have risen to mirror the value and leadership these best-tier coaches carry to their teams and universities. As universities continue to speculate of their Women of all ages’s athletics departments, a handful of standout coaches are reaping the money benefits that come with creating powerhouse applications.
Here’s a think about 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.
one. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Believed Yearly Salary: $3.one million
Dawn Staley carries on to be the gold typical in Females’s college basketball coaching. A previous WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has constructed 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.four million deal, producing her the best-paid Black head coach in Gals's school basketball heritage. That offer has given that been restructured and prolonged with efficiency incentives, inserting her firmly at the best of this checklist.
2. Geno Auriemma – College of Connecticut
Believed Once-a-year Salary: $2.9 million
A residing legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to the jaw-dropping eleven national titles. His tenure at UConn, which started in 1985, has remodeled This system into one of the most dominant dynasties in university basketball heritage—Adult males's or Ladies’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and steady effectiveness have ensured worthwhile contract renewals. His existing agreement includes a base wage, media obligations, attire discounts, and significant bonuses tied to NCAA Match operates. Though UConn has confronted recent difficulties with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership maintain his value superior.
three. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana State University (LSU)
Estimated Annual Income: $two.seven million
After An effective two-10 years operate at Baylor, where she received a few countrywide titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball entire world by becoming a member of LSU in 2021. In just her next time with the Tigers, she led them to a 2023 countrywide championship, bringing a different stage of excitement and Highlight to Baton Rouge.
Her superior-profile arrival arrived using a rewarding 8-calendar year, $23.6 million contract, making her amongst the very best-paid women’s coaches at any time. Known for her passionate coaching style, flamboyant manner, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Girls'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 due to the fact taking over in 2002. With various convention championships, a countrywide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Match appearances, Frese has saved the Terrapins in nationwide rivalry for over 20 years.
Her lengthy-expression effect and enhancement of prime-tier expertise have created her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Office. Her existing offer consists of bonuses for educational overall performance, wins, and postseason achievements—illustrating her dual dedication to athletics and university student improvement.
five. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford College
Believed Annual Wage: $1.three million
Tara VanDerveer is don't just among the very best-compensated coaches but also the winningest coach in NCAA Girls's basketball record. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time win file M88 and it has led Stanford to a few countrywide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and various Final Four appearances.
Although VanDerveer has not 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 dedication to excellence have solidified her area Among the many all-time greats in coaching heritage.
A Switching Landscape in Women's Basketball
The escalating salaries of these coaches are reflective in the increasing level of popularity and economical viability of girls’s college basketball. Programs are attracting much more national TV deals, ticket sales are increasing, 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 of your exertions, leadership, and accomplishment these coaches carry for their packages as well as the sport in general.
Honorable Mentions
Though these 5 coaches presently guide just how with regard to earnings, many Other folks are on the rise:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Each of those coaches has created substantial strides with their respective courses and could crack to the top 5 in the approaching yrs 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 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. Since the Activity proceeds to expand in popularity and assist, we can easily count on these salaries—as well as profiles of these leaders—to continue mounting.
Women’s higher education basketball isn’t just keeping tempo—it’s environment the speed for the way forward for aggressive athletics.