Women’s higher education basketball has seen exponential development in viewership, talent, and competitiveness over the past decade. While using the elevated reputation and industrial accomplishment on the sport, especially in NCAA Division I plans, coaching salaries have risen to reflect the worth and Management these best-tier coaches carry to their teams and universities. As universities carry on to invest of their Gals’s athletics departments, some standout coaches are reaping the fiscal rewards that include making powerhouse packages.
Listed here’s a look at the 5 maximum-paid Gals’s faculty basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not merely their extraordinary salaries but will also the achievements that justify their elite compensation.
one. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Believed Yearly Income: $3.one million
Dawn Staley continues to generally be the gold common in Ladies’s college or university basketball coaching. A former WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has built South Carolina into a perennial powerhouse. Since taking up This system in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to a number of NCAA Last 4 appearances and two national championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she manufactured headlines by signing a historic seven-yr, $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 overall performance 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 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 college or university basketball history—Guys's or Gals’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and dependable overall performance have ensured worthwhile agreement renewals. His latest deal features a foundation wage, media obligations, attire discounts, and significant bonuses tied to NCAA Match runs. Although UConn has faced latest issues with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership maintain his value higher.
3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana State College (LSU)
Approximated Yearly Salary: $2.seven million
Immediately after A prosperous two-10 years run at Baylor, in which she won a few countrywide titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball environment by becoming a member of LSU in 2021. In just her next time Along with the Tigers, she led them to your 2023 nationwide championship, bringing a fresh level of pleasure and spotlight to Baton Rouge.
Her higher-profile arrival arrived that has a worthwhile 8-calendar year, $23.6 million contract, earning her considered one of the very best-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
Approximated Annual Wage: $one.4 million
Brenda Frese has quietly built a design of consistency at Maryland due to the fact taking over in 2002. With various convention championships, a countrywide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Tournament appearances, Frese has retained the Terrapins in national competition for more than 20 years.
Her extensive-phrase effects and growth of leading-tier expertise have made her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Division. Her present-day deal incorporates bonuses for academic functionality, wins, and postseason success—illustrating her dual motivation to athletics and student growth.
five. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford College
Estimated Annual Wage: $one.three million
Tara VanDerveer is not only considered one of the highest-paid coaches but in addition the winningest mentor in NCAA women's basketball background. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time acquire report and it has led Stanford to 3 national titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and numerous Last Four appearances.
Even though VanDerveer hasn't been a person to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are appropriately compensated. Her leadership, improvement 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 growing salaries of these coaches are reflective from the developing acceptance and fiscal viability of ladies’s higher education basketball. Packages are attracting additional nationwide Television bargains, ticket product sales are escalating, and corporate sponsors are getting to be extra invested in Gals's athletics.
The rise in coaching salaries is not just an indication of progress—it’s a recognition from the effort, Management, and good results these coaches deliver for their systems as well as Activity in general.
Honorable Mentions
Even though these five coaches presently guide how with regard to earnings, several Many others are on the rise:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Each and every of these coaches has built major strides with their respective plans and will split into the top rated five in the approaching a long time as women's basketball carries on to grow.
Closing Thoughts
The days of underfunded M88 women’s packages and underpaid coaches are steadily fading. These elite coaches not just command significant salaries—they also mentor generations of athletes, form the society of their universities, and elevate Girls’s basketball to new heights. As the sport proceeds to develop in reputation and aid, we are able to assume these salaries—as well as profiles of these leaders—to continue soaring.
Girls’s college basketball isn’t just retaining speed—it’s location the pace for the future of competitive sports activities.