five Highest-Paid Ladies's University Basketball Coaches
five Highest-Paid Ladies's University Basketball Coaches
Blog Article
Ladies’s college basketball has witnessed exponential advancement in viewership, expertise, and competitiveness in the last ten years. With all the amplified popularity and commercial success of the Activity, specifically in NCAA Division I courses, coaching salaries have risen to mirror the value and leadership these top-tier coaches bring for their teams and universities. As universities proceed to invest of their Gals’s athletics departments, some standout coaches are reaping the fiscal rewards that include making powerhouse packages.
Right here’s a think about the 5 greatest-compensated Girls’s university basketball coaches as of 2025, showcasing not just their impressive salaries and also the achievements that justify their elite compensation.
one. Dawn Staley – University of South Carolina
Believed Annual Income: $3.one million
Dawn Staley continues being the gold normal in women’s faculty basketball coaching. A former WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist, Staley has crafted South Carolina into a perennial powerhouse. Considering the fact that taking up This system in 2008, she has led the Gamecocks to numerous NCAA Remaining Four appearances and two nationwide championships (2017 and 2022).
In 2021, she made headlines by signing a historic 7-12 months, $22.4 million contract, building her the highest-paid out Black head mentor in Ladies's faculty basketball history. That deal has considering the fact that been restructured and extended with general performance incentives, placing her firmly at the highest of the record.
2. Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
Approximated Yearly Income: $two.nine million
A living legend, Geno Auriemma has guided the UConn Huskies to some jaw-dropping 11 nationwide titles. His tenure at UConn, which commenced in 1985, has reworked the program into Just about the most dominant dynasties in faculty basketball record—Males's or Females’s.
Auriemma’s longevity and reliable performance have ensured rewarding agreement renewals. His recent agreement features a base wage, media obligations, attire discounts, and significant bonuses tied to NCAA Tournament runs. Although UConn has faced latest issues with accidents and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and leadership preserve his worth large.
3. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana State College (LSU)
Believed Yearly Wage: $2.7 million
After A prosperous two-ten years operate at Baylor, the place she gained a few national titles, Kim Mulkey shocked the basketball globe by joining LSU in 2021. In only her 2nd period With all the Tigers, she led them into a 2023 national championship, bringing a brand new amount of pleasure and spotlight to Baton Rouge.
Her higher-profile arrival arrived that has a beneficial 8-year, $23.six million agreement, creating her one of the best-paid out women’s coaches at any time. Recognized 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 Yearly Salary: $one.four million
Brenda Frese has quietly designed a model of regularity at Maryland given that taking on in 2002. With a number of conference championships, a nationwide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Tournament appearances, Frese has held the Terrapins in countrywide competition for more than two decades.
Her very long-phrase effects and advancement of top-tier talent have built her indispensable to Maryland’s athletic Division. Her latest deal involves bonuses for tutorial functionality, wins, and postseason achievement—illustrating her dual M88 motivation to athletics and student growth.
five. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford College
Estimated Annual Wage: $one.three million
Tara VanDerveer is not only 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 document and has led Stanford to a few nationwide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and diverse Remaining 4 appearances.
While VanDerveer has never been one particular to chase flashy contracts, Stanford has ensured that her legacy and contributions are properly compensated. Her Management, progress of WNBA stars, and determination to excellence have solidified her place among the all-time greats in coaching background.
A Modifying Landscape in Girls's Basketball
The raising salaries of such coaches are reflective with the escalating popularity and financial viability of girls’s college basketball. Programs are attracting more countrywide Television set promotions, ticket gross sales are raising, and company sponsors have become much more invested in Ladies's sports.
The increase in coaching salaries is not simply a sign of development—it’s a recognition with the exertions, leadership, and achievement these coaches convey for their plans and also the Activity as a whole.
Honorable Mentions
Whilst these 5 coaches at the moment lead just how with regard to earnings, many Other individuals are on the rise:
Kelly Graves (Oregon)
Vic Schaefer (Texas)
Jeff Walz (Louisville)
Courtney Banghart (North Carolina)
Each individual of those coaches has made major strides with their respective plans and will split into your prime 5 in the coming decades as Girls's basketball continues to increase.
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 culture of their universities, and elevate Women of all ages’s basketball to new heights. Because the Activity proceeds to develop in attractiveness and help, we could anticipate these salaries—along with the profiles of such leaders—to continue growing.
Gals’s college basketball isn’t just trying to keep speed—it’s location the pace for the future of competitive athletics.