five Greatest-Paid Girls's College or university Basketball Coaches
five Greatest-Paid Girls's College or university Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Females’s faculty basketball has noticed exponential progress in viewership, talent, and competitiveness over the past decade. Along with the amplified popularity and commercial success of the Activity, specifically in NCAA Division I courses, coaching salaries have risen to replicate the worth and leadership these leading-tier coaches bring for their groups and universities. As universities keep on to take a position in their Ladies’s athletics departments, a couple of standout coaches are reaping the economic rewards that include constructing powerhouse plans.
Here’s a think about the five greatest-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
Approximated Annual Salary: $3.one million
Dawn Staley proceeds being the gold typical in Ladies’s school basketball coaching. A previous WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has designed South Carolina into a perennial powerhouse. Due to the fact taking on 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 seven-year, $22.4 million contract, earning her the highest-paid out Black head mentor in Ladies's college or university basketball record. That deal has due to the fact been restructured and prolonged with performance incentives, positioning her firmly at the top of the checklist.
two. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Estimated Annual Income: $2.9 million
A dwelling legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies into a jaw-dropping eleven nationwide titles. His tenure at UConn, which commenced in 1985, has transformed the program into Just about the most dominant dynasties in school basketball heritage—Males's or Women of all ages’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and steady performance have ensured worthwhile agreement renewals. His present-day agreement includes a base salary, media obligations, clothing deals, and significant bonuses tied to NCAA Event runs. Though UConn has faced the latest worries with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership retain his value substantial.
3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana State University (LSU)
Estimated Yearly Salary: $2.seven million
Following a successful two-ten years operate at Baylor, where by she received 3 national titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball world by signing up for LSU in 2021. In only her 2nd period Using the Tigers, she led them to some 2023 countrywide championship, bringing a completely new stage of excitement and spotlight to Baton Rouge.
Her superior-profile arrival arrived using a rewarding eight-12 months, $23.6 million deal, building her one among the highest-compensated Gals’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
Believed Annual Income: $1.four million
Brenda M88 Frese has quietly developed 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 stored the Terrapins in countrywide rivalry for over twenty years.
Her lengthy-time period effect and development of prime-tier expertise have manufactured her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Office. Her existing offer consists of bonuses for educational overall performance, wins, and postseason results—illustrating her dual dedication to athletics and university student improvement.
5. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford University
Believed Annual Salary: $1.three million
Tara VanDerveer is not merely one among the highest-paid coaches and also the winningest mentor in NCAA women's basketball historical past. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time earn history and has led Stanford to three national titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and diverse Closing 4 appearances.
Though VanDerveer has never been 1 to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are properly compensated. Her leadership, growth of WNBA stars, and motivation to excellence have solidified her put among the all-time greats in coaching history.
A Modifying Landscape in Girls's Basketball
The raising salaries of such 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 in the hard work, Management, and results these coaches carry to their programs as well as Activity as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
Though these 5 coaches at present lead how regarding earnings, numerous Other people are rising:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Every single of these coaches has built important strides with their respective applications and will break in the best 5 in the coming decades as Females's basketball proceeds to expand.
Final Feelings
The times of underfunded Females’s programs and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not merely command high salaries—Additionally they mentor generations of athletes, condition the tradition in their universities, and elevate women’s basketball to new heights. Since the Activity carries on to mature in acceptance and aid, we will hope these salaries—as well as the profiles of those leaders—to carry on rising.
Girls’s college or university basketball isn’t just retaining speed—it’s location the rate for the future of competitive sports activities.