5 Highest-Paid Females's Faculty Basketball Coaches

Women’s college or university basketball has seen exponential development in viewership, talent, and competitiveness over the past decade. Along with the amplified attractiveness and professional success of the Activity, specifically in NCAA Division I systems, coaching salaries have risen to mirror the value and leadership these top-tier coaches convey for 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.

Right here’s a look at the 5 greatest-compensated Gals’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 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 several NCAA Remaining Four appearances and two countrywide championships (2017 and 2022).

In 2021, she produced headlines by signing a historic seven-calendar year, $22.4 million agreement, making her the very best-compensated Black head mentor in Females's college or university basketball historical past. That offer has since 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: $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 Among the most dominant dynasties in college basketball background—Gentlemen's or Women of all ages’s.

Auriemma’s longevity and constant functionality have ensured beneficial deal renewals. His current contract features a foundation income, media obligations, clothing deals, and hefty bonuses tied to NCAA Event operates. Though UConn has confronted the latest challenges with injuries and roster turnover, Auriemma’s legacy and Management continue to keep his benefit high.

three. Kim Mulkey – Louisiana Point out College (LSU)
Approximated Yearly Salary: $two.seven million

Just after A prosperous two-10 years run at Baylor, in which she won a few countrywide titles, Kim Mulkey stunned the basketball entire world by becoming a member of LSU in 2021. In just her next year Along with the Tigers, she led them to your 2023 nationwide championship, bringing a fresh level of pleasure and Highlight to Baton Rouge.

Her large-profile arrival came which has a valuable 8-year, $23.six million agreement, creating her one of the best-paid out women’s coaches at any time. Known for her passionate coaching style, flamboyant fashion, and championship pedigree, Mulkey is central to LSU’s resurgence in Gals's hoops.

4. Brenda Frese – College of Maryland
Approximated Once-a-year Wage: $one.4 million

Brenda Frese has quietly built a design of consistency at Maryland due to the fact taking up in 2002. With multiple convention championships, a countrywide title in 2006, and dozens of NCAA Match appearances, Frese has kept the Terrapins in nationwide rivalry for over twenty years.

Her lengthy-time period M88 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 results—illustrating her dual dedication to athletics and university student advancement.

five. Tara VanDerveer – Stanford College
Believed Annual Wage: $one.three million

Tara VanDerveer is not only among the best-compensated coaches but additionally the winningest coach in NCAA Gals's basketball record. She surpassed Pat Summitt’s all-time get file and it has led Stanford to 3 countrywide titles (1990, 1992, and 2021) and various Final Four appearances.

Although VanDerveer has not 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 Changing Landscape in Women's Basketball
The growing salaries of these coaches are reflective in the increasing level of popularity and economical viability of girls’s college or university basketball. Programs are attracting more countrywide Television set promotions, ticket gross sales are expanding, and company sponsors have become a lot more invested in Females's sports.

The increase in coaching salaries is not simply a sign of progress—it’s a recognition of the effort, Management, and good results these coaches deliver for their systems plus the sport in general.

Honorable Mentions
When these five coaches currently guide the best way with regards to earnings, a number of Many 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 applications and will break in the leading 5 in the coming yrs as Females's basketball proceeds to increase.

Final Feelings
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 in their universities, and elevate Women of all ages’s basketball to new heights. Since the Activity continues to expand in popularity and assist, we can easily count on these salaries—as well as profiles of these leaders—to continue mounting.

Ladies’s higher education basketball isn’t just keeping tempo—it’s placing the speed for the way forward for aggressive sports.