Ladies’s college basketball has witnessed exponential expansion in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness in the last 10 years. Using the improved acceptance and business accomplishment on the sport, particularly in NCAA Division I plans, coaching salaries have risen to reflect the value and Management these top rated-tier coaches provide to their teams and universities. As universities continue to speculate of their Gals’s athletics departments, several standout coaches are reaping the economic rewards that include constructing powerhouse plans.
Right here’s a look at the 5 greatest-compensated Gals’s faculty basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not merely their remarkable salaries but also the achievements that justify their elite payment.
1. Dawn Staley – College of South Carolina
Estimated Once-a-year Salary: $three.1 million
Dawn Staley proceeds for being the gold standard in Gals’s university basketball coaching. A previous WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has developed South Carolina right into a perennial powerhouse. Considering that taking over the program in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to multiple NCAA Ultimate 4 appearances and two national championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she built headlines by signing a historic 7-12 months, $22.four million contract, building her the highest-paid out Black head mentor in Ladies's faculty basketball background. That offer has considering the fact that been restructured and extended with performance incentives, putting her firmly at the highest of the list.
2. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Approximated Once-a-year Income: $two.9 million
A living legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to your jaw-dropping eleven countrywide titles. His tenure at UConn, which began in 1985, has transformed the program into The most dominant dynasties in faculty basketball background—men's or Girls’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and steady general performance have ensured rewarding agreement renewals. His recent agreement includes a base wage, media obligations, apparel discounts, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Tournament runs. When UConn has faced new worries with accidents and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and Management retain his price superior.
three. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Condition University (LSU)
Estimated Annual Salary: $two.seven million
Immediately after An effective two-10 years run at Baylor, where she won 3 nationwide M88 titles, Kim Mulkey stunned the basketball environment by signing up for LSU in 2021. In just her 2nd period Along with the Tigers, she led them to your 2023 nationwide championship, bringing a different degree of excitement and Highlight to Baton Rouge.
Her significant-profile arrival came having a profitable eight-12 months, $23.6 million deal, generating her among the highest-compensated Girls’s coaches ever. Noted for her passionate coaching type, flamboyant style, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in women's hoops.
four. Brenda Frese – University of Maryland
Approximated Annual Wage: $1.four million
Brenda Frese has quietly constructed a product of consistency at Maryland since taking up in 2002. With numerous meeting championships, a national title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Match appearances, Frese has kept the Terrapins in nationwide contention for more than twenty years.
Her prolonged-term affect and improvement of top rated-tier talent have manufactured her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic department. Her recent offer contains bonuses for tutorial overall performance, wins, and postseason achievements—illustrating her dual dedication to athletics and university student improvement.
5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford College
Believed Annual Salary: $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 heritage. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time win document and has led Stanford to a few nationwide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and various Remaining 4 appearances.
Whilst VanDerveer has never been one particular to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are correctly compensated. Her Management, enhancement of WNBA stars, and determination to excellence have solidified her position among the all-time greats in coaching history.
A Modifying Landscape in Girls's Basketball
The raising salaries of those coaches are reflective with the escalating popularity and monetary viability of women’s school basketball. Applications are attracting a lot more national TV deals, ticket sales are increasing, and company sponsors are getting to be additional invested in Gals's athletics.
The rise in coaching salaries is not just an indication of progress—it’s a recognition from the hard work, Management, and accomplishment these coaches carry to their courses as well as sport as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
When these five coaches presently guide the best way with regards to earnings, a number of others are going up:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Each and every of these coaches has designed considerable strides with their respective programs and will break in the leading 5 in the coming yrs as Ladies's basketball proceeds to expand.
Remaining Ideas
The times of underfunded Ladies’s systems and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not just command superior salaries—they also mentor generations of athletes, form the society of their universities, and elevate Females’s basketball to new heights. Because the sport proceeds to develop in level of popularity and aid, we are able to anticipate 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 sports.